Paula Badosa should be one of the most popular players in tennis. She plays with ferocity and with class. On and off the court, she comes across as a genuine person with a good sense of humor. The fans like her, and she normally likes them. One recent social media interaction was an outlier, though.
The issue stemmed from Badosa's retirement at the Dubai Tennis Championships. She was playing well against Elina Svitolina, but suffered a leg injury up 4-1 in the first set, and Svitolina reeled off the next five games. Badosa decided the risk of continuing to play was too great. It is better to quit sooner rather than later when one is hurt, after all.
The retirement marked the Spaniard's 38th-career retirement or withdrawal on either the WTA or ITF circuit, an enormous number. It was her ninth since the start of 2024. A big number, but not any higher than Elena Rybakina.
Paula Badosa delivers fantastic retort to rude social media critic
In other words, Badosa isn't pulling herself out of every tournament she enters. Far from it. Still, the withdrawals have come at a higher rate over the last six months.
One commenter on X/Twitter with the questionable handle of Elsa Jaquemot shady fact said of Badosa's latest retirement, "Paula Badosa is so disrespectful to the game, you just cannot retire/withdraw from every tournament."
That, of course, is factually incorrect. Also, it's a falsehood to say the Spaniard doesn't respect the game. Anyone who has followed her career knows that isn't the case. She fell in love with tennis at a young age, and that continues. In fact, she has a back issue that requires constant treatment, and many players might have ended their careers with the same problem.
The Spaniard wasn't going to let the brutal critique by the X user go unnoticed, however. She responded with a lengthy retort that was spot on and heartfelt.
Her reply read in part, "Trust me, I’m the first one suffering with pain and having endless nightmares to try to find solutions every single day, and for me, after all, stepping on a tennis court, makes worth everything every time. So I’ll keep trying. Because it’s all about trying, and that won’t change. I’ll always try one more time."
You have no idea what it’s like to live with a chronic injury and still choose to keep going. To wake up everyday not knowing how your body will respond, searching for solutions, and fighting for something you love and give everything even when it’s so difficult. Trust me I’m the…
— Paula Badosa (@paulabadosa) February 18, 2026
She also offered some sage advice to the critic at the end, "If you don’t like it, you don’t have to follow me. And I’m so sorry to inform you I won’t retire so you’ll keep seeing me for a while. Change channel next time."
Good for Paula Badosa. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, and she deserved to. Meanwhile, the critic said they wouldn't read her replies. Many other people did, though, and that's what matters.