Paula Badosa provides an injury update

One of the most heartbreaking tennis scenes was the retirement of Paula Badosa during a highly competitive match with her best friend and World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka at Stuttgart.

Badosa dropped the first set in a tiebreaker and while leading the second set took a medical time out requiring her to go off the court with the trainer. She returned with a bandage on her left leg which initially did not appear to hamper her movement. She won the second set 6-4. Badosa started to show signs of the injury early in the third set and at 3-3 in the third had to retire.

Fans know that Badosa dealt with a back injury for nearly a year that kept her off the court or stopping and starting until she felt healthy enough to compete. When healthy, Badosa is a force to reckon with as she showed in her match with Sabalenka. Badosa broke down in tears while talking to Sabalenka, and Sabalenka was visibly shaken by how the match ended against her best friend.

Badosa's social media message

Paula Badosa thanked everyone for their support since the Sabalenka match. She revealed that medical tests showed she has a "small tear in the abductor." Badosa told her fans that she will try to play in Madrid (at the Madrid Open beginning April 23) because it is important for her to play in front of the home crowd.

Badosa's injury, based on her explanation, is to the hip abductor. Recovery times vary depending on how severe the tear is. She calls it a small tear which is encouraging news. They can be tricky to recover from because of how the hips are used in practically everything including walking, running, and of course, striking a tennis ball. The worst-case scenario is surgery, but it thankfully does not appear that hers is that severe. Her abductor injury should not be confused with fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal's hip flexor injury in 2023 that caused him to have surgery.

Hopefully, she can play at Madrid because it would mean so much to her and the fans. Badosa is only 26 years old and has a lot of tennis in her future once she overcomes this injury.

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