Jan 21, 2025; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Paula Badosa of Spain gestures during her match against Coco Gauff of United States of America in the quarterfinals of the women's singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

tennis

What Happened to Paula Badosa: Why Did Paula Badosa Withdraw From WTA Madrid Open 2025?

Spaniard pulls out one day after Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from Madrid.

In a disheartening update for Spanish fans, World No. 9 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open. Hours before her Round-2 encounter against Veronika Kudermetova, Badosa has announced that she will be unable to compete at La Caja Magica this year. Her spot will be taken by fellow Spaniard Cristina Bucsa.

Badosa’s career has been filled with untimely retirements and withdrawals. The 27-year-old has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world in the past. Having reached at least the quarterfinal stage in three out of the four Grand Slams, Badosa is a potent threat on tour to say the least. The New York-born starlet had previously stated that she was ready to participate in the event being held at the Spanish capital. However, it wasn’t meant to be.

Back Injury Forces Paula Badosa Out of Madrid Open 2025

A lingering back issue has been troubling Paula Badosa for an extensive period now. The injury concern rewinds back to 2023, when Badosa was forced to miss the last five months of the season due to back problems. In 2025, she retired in Mexico, skipped Indian Wells, and withdrew from Miami due to the same nagging pain in her back.

Before the start of the tournament, Badosa was on the edge regarding the injury. “My back is good, slowly getting better,” she told the WTA Tour media. “It’s been a tough injury honestly, because it was totally different from the last one. It was an injury that was touching the nerves, so I was constantly having pain. My normal life was a disaster – I couldn’t even move from the couch.”

A few weeks ago, the 2025 Australian Open semifinalist was asked about how fit she was feeling. “I don’t know,” she evaluated. “Slowly, step by step, every day I’m feeling a bit better. Hopefully I’ll be at 100% soon. Not right now, but soon.” She also stressed on the treatment she was receiving. “But I was lucky that the treatment, the injections I that had to do have worked. So slowly getting back there, yeah.”

Badosa Was Due to Face Kudermetova in Madrid

❤️‍🩹
— Paula Badosa (@paulabadosa) April 25, 2025

The No. 9 seed was handed a bye in Round-1, and was set to face Veronika Kudermetova of Russia on Friday. Badosa has a 2-4 disadvantageous record against Veronika. Their last meeting was at Roland Garros in 2022, when Badosa retired midway through the match. The news comes as a double disaster for the Madrid Open organisers, who were already dealt with a huge blow when fellow Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz pulled out of the tournament.

Paula Badosa made the announcement to fans on social media. “Hey everyone, I wanted to let you know that unfortunately I won’t be able to play Mutua Madrid Open. I’ve tried to do everything possible until the last moment because you know how excited I am to play at home, but it’s being a complicated injury. I hope to be 100% soon. Big hug, Paula,” she revealed.

Paula Badosa will hope to be fit and ready for the Roland Garros Championships – taking place between 25 May and 8 June, 2025.

Aryna Sabalenka

ATP

Carlos Alcaraz

Madrid Open

Paula Badosa

Tennis

Veronika Kudermetova

WTA

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.