Paula Badosa reveals she admired Maria Sharapova’s tennis so much when rising up however admits she completely wasn’t able to be labeled the subsequent Sharapova.
Throughout her junior profession, the Spaniard achieved some fairly good issues, with probably the most notable one being her 2015 French Open ladies’ singles title.
Resulting from her top but additionally an awesome predisposition to have a giant recreation and be a really profitable big-hitter, it did not take lengthy earlier than the 2015 French Open junior champion began being in comparison with the previous world No. 1.
“Yes, she was when I grew up and as I said, it’s not all the game that she was playing, it was what she was going like above tennis,” Badosa told Caroline Garcia during her appearance on the Frenchwoman’s Tennis Insider Club podcast.
“She had a different mindset of being an athlete but more than that. So that’s something that I really liked about her and was very inspiring.”
Badosa: I used to be shedding whereas folks anticipated me to be the subsequent Sharapova
After a profitable junior profession, the present four-time WTA champion did not have a simple transition to the professional circuit.
And people large expectations and stress performed a task.
All of it resulted in Badosa falling into a really darkish place and battling melancholy and nervousness as a result of her professional profession wasn’t progressing as anticipated or focused.
“I went through depression and I had mental health problems. Because I was 18, I was a very good junior, but then the step of going to the pro was not easy,” the 27-year-old added.
“You start losing, and people expect you to be the next Sharapova. They wondered why I wasn’t in the Top 10 yet, but I wasn’t even in the Top 100 at that moment.
“The expectations were super high, but my level and mental capacity weren’t ready for that.”
Paula Badosa© Tennis Insider Membership – YouTube
Fortuitously, Badosa was capable of overcome these points and make a pleasant profession for herself.
Now, she is a WTA 1000 champion – not too long ago made her first Grand Slam semifinal on the Australian Open – and has been ranked as excessive as No. 2 on this planet.
Additionally, she is the top-ranked Spanish feminine tennis participant along with her present rating of No. 10.
