Badosa: "I am this type of player who is not satisfied with making quarterfinals or semifinals"

Mónica Barberán Munera | 3 Aug 2024 | 13.30

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As only two days of tennis remain at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, there is someone taking advantage of their presence in another tournament thousands of kilometers away. This week, Paula Badosa is rewriting her present and future after reaching her first WTA semifinals in a year and a half. The Spanish player is currently competing in the Washington tournament, feeling physically and mentally better than she has been all of 2024, especially after defeating Emma Raducanu in a demanding match that the Catalan player needed to test herself.

A nearly 3-hour comeback is not enough to defeat a Paula who is finding her rhythm. Tired but happy to have executed her new strategy perfectly. What is she most satisfied with regarding her match against the Brit? "Especially with how I managed to stay focused during moments when my game wasn't at its best, maybe making a few mistakes. I am trying to incorporate some new elements into my game, being a bit more aggressive and going for it. I think that worked quite well in the third set.

"So I'm proud of that because maybe the matches I lost recently were because I wasn't going all in. Today I did, and it worked," confessed the Spanish player in a press conference. Reaching this semifinal is a great achievement for Paula, not only in terms of feelings but also for the ranking points it brings. Opting out of the Olympic event wasn't easy, but her decision was based on aiming for good results for her qualification and not wasting her protected ranking. Thus, Washington is witnessing a revival that she aims to continue during the upcoming hard court season.

"Do you feel you are getting closer to your top form?"

"Yes, definitely. After recovering from my injury, I felt like a disaster. I was slow on the court, I didn't read the game as well as when I left, failing shots. Additionally, I wasn't lucky with the draws as I was facing top players too early. I didn't have time to adjust and accumulate match experience. I think it started to change a bit since Rome when my body started feeling better. I was gaining speed and reacting a bit better. I believe that is the key to my game, feeling good physically. Since then, I think I am gaining a bit more confidence mentally and right now, I think I am playing quite well against good opponents. I am reaching that level," she confessed.

This resurrection process, prompted by injuries, has been made feasible due to her mental work. Paula has always confessed to being very emotional and demanding with herself, but she has managed to turn it into something positive. Her self-confidence is sky-high. "I'm the kind of player who isn't content with quarterfinals or semifinals. It's something I'm working through with my coach.

"He tells me to be proud of myself and that I'm making a great effort, but I say: 'no, I won't be happy until I achieve a great result.' Although I'm trying. I try to value each match, and I believe I have to, after a year. It's my comeback year, so it's never easy. Today I am very tired with the heat and everything; let's see how I recover for tomorrow. But well, my body is responding quite well, that's the positive part," said the player who will aim to reach the final against Caroline Dolehide today.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Badosa: "Soy este tipo de jugadora que no está contenta con hacer cuartos o semifinales"