Paula Badosa on Maria Sharapova comparisons – ‘It bothered me’

Maria Sharapova was one of Paula Badosa’s tennis idols when she was growing and when the Spaniard made her breakthrough many started comparing her to the Russian.

Badosa won the French Open junior title in 2015 and it wasn’t long before everyone likened her to Sharapova, who rose to prominence when she won Wimbledon at the age of 17.

Sharapova, of course, was not only known for her on-court performances as she won five Grand Slams and was also a former world No 1, but also her off-court glamour as she was one of the best-paid women’s athletes during her playing days.

Many believed Badosa was destined to follow in the Russian’s footsteps both in terms of on-court and off-court success, but the comparisons with Sharapova didn’t help the Spaniard.

“It bothered me not because they compared me to a legend who played tennis very well and was also very elegant, but it put pressure on me that I was not used to that and I did not know how to manage it,” Badosa told Marca.

“Everyone expected me to be top 10 at 18 years old and I was not physically, mentally or tennis ready for it.”

Badosa’s rapid rise continued in 2021 as she reached the quarter-final of the French Open and the fourth round at Wimbledon while in October she won the biggest trophy of her career at the Indian Wells Open.

She surged into the top 10 of the WTA Rankings and some early success in 2022 helped her to rise to a career-high of No 2, but she started to lose form during the latter stages of the season as she lost eight of her last 10 matches of the year to slip outside the top 10.

The start of the 2023 season did not go much better as she missed the Australian Open due to an abductor injury and her progress has been slow and has resulted in her dropping outside the top 30.

“It has cost me a lot. I started the year very well, but I got injured and it took me a while to recover,” Badosa said. “Then I got very sick and it was also difficult for me to link back-to-back games again.

“In Charleston I was able to play three games in a row and I have returned to feeling as competitive as before. Hopefully soon I will feel the Paula I want to be again.”

After reaching the quarter-final of the Charleston Open last week, Badosa is hoping to continue her return to form over the next few weeks as she looks to start her journey towards bigger and better things.

She added: “The dream and the illusion of being number 1 and winning a Grand Slam will be there until the day I retire. It’s what I work for and get up every day.”

READ MORE: Name a better tennis womance than the ‘true love’ story between Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa