Stefanos Tsitsipas 'couldn't be prouder' of Paula Badosa for winning 2024 WTA Comeback Player of the Year

Born in Manhattan and raised in Spain, Badosa couldn't find answers in any language after she let a 5-1 lead slip away against Emma Navarro in the quarterfinals.

ByBaseline Staff

Published Sep 03, 2024

There was a glimmer of hope after Paula Badosa dropped the first set to Emma Navarro at the US Open on Tuesday, but just as quickly as it came the moment slipped away for the former world No. 2.

The Spaniard had taken a daunting 5-1 lead in the second set on Arthur Ashe Stadium. That’s when Badosa’s game went awry, and Navarro locked in. The 23-year-old American pounced on her opponent’s errors to close out the match 6-2, 7-5 and claim a spot in her first Grand Slam semifinal.

After the match, Navarro highlighted that moment as a major turning point: “When I got back to 5-2, I had an inkling I could get this done in two sets," she said on court.

Badosa herself later seemed to agree, revealing in her post-match press conference that she never quite felt like “herself” on the court as her chances were quickly extinguished.

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Emma Navarro's moment in the sun! ☀️

She comes from 5-1 down in the second set to defeat Badosa and reach her maiden Grand Slam semifinal! pic.twitter.com/YWfnW0ya2E
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2024

“It was 5-1, but I never felt ‘myself’ in the court,” Badosa admitted. “I didn't feel serving well, playing well from the baseline. That's my biggest strength. I think today it surprised me because I was playing pretty good the other matches, I was feeling good. But when I walked into the court, I think I didn't match well the situation or the emotions.

“It was a bit hard to handle for me. I wanted to win so much that sometimes that doesn't help at all.”

And while Badosa couldn’t find the answers on court, she could hardly find the words to sum up the disappointment afterward as the Spaniard—who was born in Manhattan and grew up in Barcelona—got her languages mixed up toward the end of her English press conference:

Q. Are you the kind of person who will think about what happened today and why you weren't able to perform, or just try and put it out of your mind and forget about it?

\PAULA BADOSA: No, I'm the first one, I'm very obsessive, and I think about the things and I don't like to make the same mistake two times. \

That's also what brought me where I am, but maybe also I will think about it too much. My team will help me, like, not to, how do you say...?

Q. Obsess?

PAULA BADOSA: Yeah, myself, how to distract myself. I even forgot how to speak English today. Imagine. (smiling).

What a day, man. Can I go to sleep? (smiling)

Badosa couldn't find answers in English or Spanish, after letting a 5-1 lead slip away against Emma Navarro in the quarterfinals.

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After a well-deserved rest, Badosa should have plenty of positives to “distract herself” with following a successful North American hard-court swing.

Having been beset by a lower back injury that left her contemplating retiring from tennis altogether back in March, the 26-year-old is finally back inside the WTA’s Top 30 after winning the title in Washington DC and reaching the semifinals at the Cincinnati Open. At Flushing Meadows, Badosa made it to her second career Grand Slam quarterfinal after reaching that stage at 2021 Roland Garros.

No. 13 seed Navarro will face the winner between reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen in the next round.