Don’t Stop Believing: How Paula Badosa flipped retirement script into first US Open quarterfinal

NEW YORK—Paula Badosa didn’t quite know what life looked like without tennis, but as injuries continued to hinder her progress, a picture had started to form.

“There were some moments I was thinking about it, like in the clay court season when I was losing very soon in the tournaments, and I'm like, ‘Wow, what can I do now, you know?’” she said at the US Open on Sunday.

Read more: Paula Badosa turns pain into power with summer surge

In a happy relationship with fellow pro Stefanos Tsitsipas and enjoying no shortage of off-court opportunities, it would not have been difficult to picture the former world No. 2, who had resorted to cortisone shots to treat her stubborn back, on the periphery of a sport she once threatened to dominate.

Three months later, Badosa is back and in many ways better than ever by easing into the last eight at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, a site where she’d won two matches in four previous attempts.

That the No. 26 seed entered Louis Armstrong Stadium the overwhelming favorite against Wang Yafan was a testament to the strength of her play throughout the hard-court season, winning the Mubadala Citi DC Open—her first title in over two years—and reaching the Cincinnati Open semifinals all in the last month.

“I think that was the tricky part of today, that maybe I was the favorite,” said Badosa who, for all her big court experience, had never been scheduled on a US Open stadium before 2024. “There have been many times I didn't deal with that really well, because I lost a few times in the fourth round, so today I was quite nervous.

“But I think I managed that, and I dealt with the pressure and the nerves pretty well. I was really aggressive. I think today the forehand worked really well and especially also the serve. I'm really pleased with that.”

There were some moments I was thinking about it, like in the clay court season when I was losing very soon in the tournaments, and I'm like, ‘Wow, what can I do now, you know?’ Paula Badosa

Even factoring in her still-recent recent struggles, Badosa would have likely still been the favorite against Wang, who was only briefly ranked inside the Top 50 and playing by far the biggest match of her career. The Spaniard credited Wang all the same for the challenge she laid down despite the ultimately lopsided 6-1, 6-2 scoreline.

“She plays very tactical,” Badosa said. “She's very smart on the court, so I'm really happy. I was very aggressive, I went for my shots. I think I'm playing pretty well all the matches, and today I could prove that.”

Projected to make a Top 20 return only weeks after dropping to No. 140 back in May—and, most improbably, in with a shot to return to her first WTA Finals since 2021—Badosa will make her Arthur Ashe Stadium debut in the quarterfinals and will be a firm underdog against American hopefuls Emma Navarro or Coco Gauff, the defending champion.

Though she was famously born in New York City, the Barcelona native isn’t expecting a home-court advantage.

“Come on, let's be honest,” she said, laughing. “Even though I was born here, I think they just care about the flag…but I totally get it.

“It's still going to be cool. I like these kinds of challenges. I was born to play on big stages, and I'm really looking forward for that.”

Badosa leads Gauff 3-2 in their head-to-head, though Gauff won their most recent meeting in three sets at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, back when she still thought retirement was a possibility. Boosted by her second shot at Grand Slam success, Badosa hopes the same self-belief that kept her in the game will take her even farther—in Flushing Meadows and beyond.

“I always had this small part of me I had faith on myself, I had this belief that I could come back. I knew it was going to be a process that I had to trust, that I had to be patient, but I remember saying to my coach, ‘Look, I'm going to give myself this year, and let's see if this can work out.’

“Well, it's working,” she said with a smile.