Despite injury struggles, Paula Badosa—the Spanish fighter—is still roaring to compete

Paula Badosa has never been one to shy away from the spotlight. The same passion and will to succeed that's on display in each and every one of her matches is what propelled her to the top of the sport. While there's a singular focus for her on the court, there's so much more than meets the surface off of it for the Spainard. Badosa has grown into her role as an ambassador of the game, and can turn off the competitive switch when the action is done for the day. She's personalble, articulate, and has no problem identifying what she wants in life.

Her recent appearance on the Inside-In Podcast is no exception: In it, Badosa covered a lot of ground, from her journey in tennis to her high-profile friendship with a fellow WTA superstar—and of course, becoming arguably the power couple in all of tennis with Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Badosa has reached several peaks in her playing career. She won the 2021 Indian Wells tournament and carried that momentum into a ranking of No. 2 in the world in April of 2022. The process of becoming a great tennis player was gradual, and was way more about her mindset than anything she was doing with her game itself.

"Believing in myself, that was maybe the part I was struggling with the most. Because the talent was there, but I wasn't believing in myself," Badosa said, reflecting on her early years on tour.

She needed to make adjustments, and she needed to become the tough player that we see today.

"I remember promising to myself a few years ago, maybe three, four years ago that I was going to fight no matter what," Badosa said. "One day when I retire, I just want people to remember me as a fighter."

As ferocious as Badosa is on the court, she's equally fun-loving off of it. She has developed a good reputation with most of her co-workers, and has established meaningiful friendships with several WTA players. But nothing will surpass the kinship she feels with two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, whom Badosa identifies as her "soulmate."

They are two peas in a pod, both women walking to the beat of their own drum and yet operating on the same wavelength in life. Their now-iconic friendship started with an exhibition that they both participated in a few years ago, and has been picking up steam ever since.

"We realized that we had very similar personalities and we get a long very well. And that we're both very, very competitive, but at the same time we know how to separate things. It's very nice for me having a friend on tour, because it's very tough to find," Badosa said.

As close as they are, the Spanish player did lay down one groundrule for Sabalenka's current run of success: "I always tell her, 'OK, now that I'm injured, you can win anything you want. But when I come back, just leave some for me!'"

In 2023, Badosa entered a different chapter of her life, as she fell in love with another tennis superstar in Tsitsipas. The pair is inseparable, and has increased the profile and popularity of athletes. Yet from Badosa's perspective, if you cut away all the fame and media coverage, she just sees her boyfriend as a good person who makes her happy, and he remains someone she enjoys spending time with.

"All the support I get from him, and also having somebody that does the same thing as me, I think he empathizes with everything," Badosa said. "He's always been there for me. And as I always say, maybe it sounds cliche, but he inpsires me also. So I learn a lot from him, on and off court because I think he's a great example. Sharing moments and sharing my personal life with him is something that is very, very nice."

Forced out of Tennis Paradise this year due to injury, after a back problem derailed her in the back half of last year, Badosa is still waiting for the moment she can return to her best in competition. In the meantime, the former world No. 2 is still working relentlessly to achieve excellence in all of her pursuits. On this podcast, Badosa also discusses the high-level of athletes on the WTA, why tennis is the toughest sport to play, and what her interests are away from the game. There's even talk of a cheat meal or two she partakes in, when the rare opportunity arises.

But despite her varied interests, one thing remains clear: She's itching to get back, and will do whatever it takes to get reclaim the lofty position she knows well. I wouldn't bet against her.