A testament to her indomitable spirit, Paula Badosa has battled a recurring lower back injury that first struck in Rome 2023, resulting in two fractured vertebrae. After a determined recovery, her 2024 comeback saw her clinch the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open title. However, the injury resurfaced in Merida in March 2025, forcing withdrawals from Indian Wells and Miami after making it to the last 16. Now, it tragically sidelined her from the Madrid Open just before her opening match. Despite this setback, her coach clearly has faith in her.
For the unversed, the Spaniard just withdrew from the Madrid Open at the last minute. Taking to her Instagram story, she wrote, “Hey everyone, I wanted to let you know that unfortunately I won’t be able to play Mutua Madrid Open. I’ve tried to do everything possible until the last moment because you know how excited I am to play at home, but it’s being a complicated injury. I hope to be 100% soon.” This comes after she posted how she was ready to “crank up the pulse” in Madrid.
Following her announcement, her coach, Pol Toledo Bague posted on his IG story with a picture of Paula, “Resilience is understood as the ability of the human being to face the adversities of life, overcome them and be positively transformed by them.” She had hoped to recover in time to compete on Spanish soil, but it didn’t work out. In response to her coach, she wrote back, “Thank you coach we will be back stronger like we always did @pol.toledo.” Isn’t that touching?
The coach and player go way back. He joined her after the departure of Javier Marti in August 2021. Since then, she won two singles titles—Belgrade in 2021 and the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open in 2024—and reached a career high ranking of No.2 in April 2022! This year, she even made it to the semis at the Australian Open, which is a step up from her quarterfinal runs at the 2021 French Open and 2024 US Open.
Even through Paula’s injury, when it first happened, he helped her get back on her feet. Remember when a fan noticed this and shared their appreciation for Toledo? After watching her comeback last season, returning to the Top 30 and winning her first title in Washington, they wrote on X, “I think it is time to mention (and recognize) the role of Pol Toledo. Paula Badosa has had good results lately due to many factors and one of them is him. Not only the preparation of the pre-match strategy but also the adjustments after a rain break.” Paula replied with heart.
She wrote, “I couldn’t agree more. What a great analysis on your part. People tend to praise the player but without the coach behind him, it wouldn’t be the same. He is the most important part of my professional career. One of the best people and professionals I have ever had. @PolToledoBague.(Translated from Spanish)” After this, she might not have won any more titles, but she was named the 2024 WTA Comeback Player of the Year.
Coming into the clay season, Paula had fiery energy entering the Madrid Open. But she knew her injury could strike again.
Paula expresses her hopes and worries for her Madrid campaign
She couldn’t help but notice a pattern: “It’s a shame that it’s always in Madrid when I go through difficult times.” The Spanish star has a complicated relationship with her home tournament, but last year’s early loss there became a turning point. She lost in the first round to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro after taking the first set but eventually losing the match to 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
“Last year it really helped me that I proved to myself I can get back among the best despite everything. When you come back from such a long injury, you always have doubts. Will I be able to do it again?” she shared, reflecting on her journey back to the top tier of tennis.
Fast forward to 2025, and Badosa is back in the world’s top 10, sitting at No. 9 after a stellar start to the season. But just as things were looking up, those nagging back problems resurfaced, threatening to derail her momentum yet again. “Now that I’ve missed a lot of tournaments, it helps me see it in perspective. It’s a tough moment, but you know that you can get back to where you deserve to be. The experience of all these years gives me peace of mind,” Badosa explained, sounding both grounded and hopeful.
Getting through injury setbacks is no easy feat, and Badosa doesn’t sugarcoat it. “It’s difficult and I don’t have the answer or the solution. I try to deal with it as well as possible, to disconnect and I have constant feedback from my doctors. I’m very grateful to them because they’re there 24/7. It’s difficult to handle emotionally, above all because I started so well, I felt like it was going to be the best year of my career. It’s hard because you lose your confidence quickly and getting that back is a long process and a lot of people don’t realise that,” she admitted, giving fans a glimpse into the mental grind behind the scenes.
With Badosa forced to withdraw from Madrid, her spot in the draw went to fellow Spaniard Cristina Bucsa. Now, all eyes are on whether Badosa can bounce back in time for Roland Garros, which kicks off on May 25. She’s shown grit and resilience before—don’t count her out just yet. Will she pull off another comeback? Let’s see how this rollercoaster season unfolds!
The post “Will Be Back Stronger,” Paula Badosa’s Heartbreaking Madrid Withdrawal Sparks Emotional Interaction With Coach Over Instagram appeared first on EssentiallySports.