Paula Badosa has made a good start in defending her crown at the Indian Wells tournament. The Spaniard beat the Czech Tereza Martincova with a result of 6-2 and 7-6(4), to face her compatriot and good friend Sara Sorribes in the next round. Born in New York in 1997, Badosa had options to play for the United States but opted for Spain. “I thought about it, but I had to live in the United States and I was too far from my family,” explained the tennis player.
Paula Badosa is the defending champion in Indian Wells , a tournament she won just a few months ago and to which she now returns on her usual date on the circuit. The Catalan tennis player debuted with victory against the Czech Tereza Martincova in two sets (6-2 and 7-6) to advance to the next round where her compatriot Sara Sorribes awaits her. It will be a fratricidal duel in the Californian tournament, one more because there are several Spaniards also paired in the men’s draw.
Badosa is currently the main Spanish racket in the women’s circuit, although the Catalan had her options to play for the United States. Born 24 years ago in New York, where her parents were working at the time, the American federation tried to convince her, but Badosa opted for Spain. About it, they asked him precisely after his debut in Indian Wells .
“I thought about it when I was very little. But the thing is that I started playing tennis in Spain and my whole family is from Spain. I was born in the United States and I lived here, I really have part of my heart here,” Badosa acknowledged at the press conference after his first game in Indian Wells. “I thought about it, but I had to live in the United States and I was too far from my family,” Badosa added.
The truth is that although she does not forget her first years in the United States and has a special affection for it, Paula Badosa has always shown off the Spanish flag wherever she has gone and at this moment she is one of the main hopes of Spanish tennis. She is ranked 7th in the WTA ranking and her game is progressing a lot, having improved a lot mentally and physically. «The turning point of my career was last year, I think I have changed a lot. Before I was very weak mentally, I got frustrated easily and sometimes I didn’t fight as I should. I have changed a lot, “said the Catalan, a semifinalist in the WTA Finals.
From one 🇪🇸 @RafaelNadal to another 🇪🇸 @paulabadosa! 🤗#IndianWells pic.twitter.com/E4Dei4e6Sk
— wta (@WTA) March 12, 2022
“At the beginning of the year I decided that I wanted to be very strong from that point of view. That made me improve a lot because when you are stronger mentally, you are also physically stronger and your tennis improves”, added Paula Badosa, who this year has already won a title in Sydney. This week she is looking for her second crown in the Californian tournament, for which she will first have to beat another Spaniard, Sara Sorribes.
