Heartbreak has marred Paula Badosa’s 2025 season, a stark contrast to her early-year heroics at Down Under. The relentless culprit? A recurring back injury that’s grown worse, forcing her to withdraw from Miami and retire mid-match in Berlin, then again ahead of her 2nd round in Madrid, and pull out of the Italian Open. Yet through the pain, she remains defiant. Now, as Wimbledon’s sacred lawns call tennis’s fiercest warriors, Badosa rises once more, ready to lock horns with Britain’s Katie Boulter in a battle of grit and glory.
Paula Badosa vs Katie Boulter: Preview
This season, the Spaniard Paula Badosa has battled her way to a 17-10 record, with her shining moment coming in January at the AO, where she blazed into the semifinals. Since then, the Spaniard has reached 3 quarterfinals, most recently in Berlin, only to see her campaign cut short once again by her long-standing nemesis: a chronic back injury. Forced to retire against Xinyu Wang, her frustration boiled over as she smashed her racket with visible anguish.
It marked yet another in a series of retirements and withdrawals this season, already more than three times. Still, she managed two full matches on the grass, taking down Eva Lys and Emma Navarro in Berlin.
Grass, however, has never quite been her stronghold. Wimbledon remains the only Slam where 9th-seed Badosa has yet to reach the QF. Her game sings more sweetly on hard and clay courts. Yet her determination never wavers. With a 384-210 career record and a respectable 22-15 win-loss mark on grass court, the Spaniard steps onto Wimbledon’s storied lawns, seeking redemption, hungry to rewrite her grass-court story after a turbulent lead-up.
Oct 17, 2021; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Paula Badosa (ESP) reacts after winning a point as she defeated Victoria Azarenka (BLR) in the womenÕs final of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Across the net awaits Britain’s own Katie Boulter, who enters Wimbledon unseeded and ranked 41st, having recently surrendered her top British women’s ranking to Emma Raducanu. This marks Boulter’s 7th main-draw appearance at her home Slam, with her best performances being two 3rd-round finishes. Last year, she suffered a disappointing 2nd-round exit at the hands of compatriot Harriet Dart. While Boulter has struggled to find consistency this season, she remains a crowd favorite with a game that can light up grass courts.
Her grass-court preparations include a R16 loss to Diana Shnaider at Queen’s and a QF exit in Nottingham, where she missed out on a 3-peat, falling to eventual champion McCartney Kessler. With a career record of 341-208 and a solid 54-35 on grass, Boulter now looks to harness home-court fire and flip the script.
Paula Badosa vs Katie Boulter: Head-to-Head
Badosa and Boulter have faced each other once on the WTA tour, with their lone encounter taking place at the 2024 Roland Garros, where the Spaniard emerged victorious in a 3-set battle.
Prediction: Badosa to win this contest in three sets
Neither Paula Badosa nor Katie Boulter has hoisted a trophy in 2025, but a closer look at the numbers reveals the Spaniard holds the stronger hand. Badosa boasts a solid 17-10 record in 2025. On grass over the last 12 months, she’s gone 5-2, including 2-1 in 2025 alone.
Her serve has held strong, winning 75.7% of her service games, while she’s also broken opponents 38.2% of the time. In break-point opportunities, she’s converted 24 of 49, a sharp 49.0%. Her past All England Club runs show promise, with 4th-round finishes in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Boulter, on the other hand, has navigated rougher waters this year. She enters with a 15-10 record and a more modest 4-3 showing on grass over the last 12 months, including 3-2 this season. On grass, Boulter has won 70.5% of her service games and managed a 30.5% win rate on return.
In terms of break points, she sits 40th on tour with a 48.1% conversion rate, 26 of 54 chances. The Briton’s best showings at Wimbledon were third-round finishes in 2022 and 2023, but this season has lacked the momentum to elevate her beyond that mark.
Still, the true X-factor is Badosa’s health. She retired from the Berlin Open because of a hip injury and left the court clearly shaken. Injuries have haunted her during crucial moments in her career, casting doubt on her physical readiness once again. Yet, the Spaniard’s game remains undeniable, fluid, powerful, and battle-tested. And in truth, this may be a favorable matchup for her. Boulter will shoulder the immense pressure of performing on home soil and hasn’t exactly been thriving under that weight this season.
If Badosa is fit, she should be the favorite. But with her body in question, the door swings open. Expect a gritty battle that could very well stretch to a third set. A healthy Badosa takes this, but with her recent setbacks, nothing is guaranteed.
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