Paula Badosa outlines Grand Slam ambitions ahead of 2022 Australian Open after Covid-19 quarantine this season
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Published 14/12/2021 at 13:05 GMT
The 2021 Australian Open was a tournament to forget for Paula Badosa as she had to spend 21 days in hotel quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19. Badosa has since reached No 8 in the world and has told Eurosport Spain about her ambitions in Melbourne and the season ahead on the WTA Tour as she looks for more success.
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Paula Badosa is hopeful that she will be able to build on her strong season and challenge for the title at the 2022 Australian Open next month.
Badosa was one of the breakthrough players on the WTA Tour this year, shooting up from No. 71 in the world rankings to No. 8 and winning the biggest title of her career at Indian Wells.
She also made the semi-finals of the season-ending WTA Finals in Mexico.
Her ambitions for next season include more success at the majors, where she has so far only made one quarter-final, coming at this year’s French Open.
“I am giving one hundred percent in training because my goal is to reach the final rounds in the big tournaments and in the Grand Slams,” she told Eurosport Spain.
“My goal now is to go to Australia and do my best and win the most matches I can."
Badosa’s last trip to Melbourne was not a pleasant one as she was confined to her hotel room after testing positive for Covid-19 and had limited training opportunities before losing in the first round of the 2021 Australian Open.
“I didn't have a good time last year,” she says. “I wish I could leave with a different taste in my mouth, because it was very hard. Now I arrive in a different way, I start the year with a new ranking as well, I hope that helps me and I have a different confidence.
“What bothered me the most was that I had a very good pre-season and I had to lock myself in, go 21 days without exercising and without being able to breathe fresh air. It was difficult, physically it was difficult for me to regain my level. But mentally I got along well, as much as I could.”
Badosa will be one of the top seeds in Melbourne this time around and admits that comes with its own pressure.
“You are in the spotlight. Now everyone wants to beat you. Opponents play with less pressure against you and you play with the obligation to win. It is difficult, but in the world of tennis there is always something like this.
“When you are 70th in the world you fight to be at the top, and when you are at the top you fight to stay there. You set yourself a constant challenge. But that's the beauty of this sport.”
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Badosa will start her 2022 season at a WTA 250 tournament in Adelaide on January 3, along with most of the world’s top players.
World No 1 Ashleigh Barty, world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka and world No 3 Garbine Muguruza are all set to play the event.
“The first thing I think when I see the list is that it is very hard,” says Badosa with a smile. “They all play, because they all want to start the year well. Everything is being so intense that it seems that if you miss a tournament you lose a lot, so we have to be prepared, there is no other choice.
“I signed up because it will help me pick up my pace, regain my competitive edge and prepare better for the Grand Slam.”
Badosa’s 2021 season finished with a straight-set defeat to fellow Spaniard Muguruza in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals. It was the first time that Spain had two players in the last four of the tournament.
“The truth is that it is pride that we are compared with the greats in the history of Spanish tennis,” says Badosa.
“And being able to share this with a great player like Garbine makes me very excited. I have always admired her a lot, I have taken her as an example both for her triumphs and her style of play.
“And now being able to share this with a great champion like her is a dream come true for me, that cannot be denied. I am proud of myself to have come this far.”
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