Badosa tests his mental recovery against Juvan

Paula Badosa is a very emotional tennis player, she says so herself, who suffers with the situations that come her way, both on and off the court. On Tuesday, when he saw Tsonga cry at his farewell as a tennis player in Roland GarrosTears almost fell from her eyes. From the beginning of her career she fights against the tribulations of her restless mind. She suffered from anxiety and depression when expectations of her skyrocketed after winning the junior tournament at Roland Garros in 2015, at the age of 17. And it took time to reach the elite, but when it did, it was to stay.

Installed in the top-10 (it is number four), now it faces a new upsurge of those problems that affect it, although they are far from so serious now. “It was very important for me to start well. I was very nervous before the tournament and I didn’t arrive in the best way. I think that tennis-wise I’m at the level, but mentally I took steps back from Madrid. It takes a lot to build that confidence and it goes away very quickly. That was my case. Every match and every minute that I spend on the court will help me get what I need again.”said Badosa after winning 6-2 and 6-0 against the French Ferro. This Thursday (11:00, Eurosport), in the second round, she will face the Slovenian Kaja Juvan (21 years old and 68th in the world) at the Suzanne Lenglen. Paula warns: “If I have a winning mentality, I can opt for the title, because I have tennis”.

He will compete with clear ideas about what he should do: “My game is good, and it was in Madrid and Rome. That was not the problem in those tournaments. I can do very well. It is more a mental issue, of confidence, of saturation of matches that perhaps I did not manage in the best way. I hope to play a lot here and if I do, I think I will give a good level of tennis in the end.”

title options

That would lead her to have options to be champion in Paris, although on her side of the draw she would meet number one, the Polish Iga Swiatek, in the semifinals. At the moment, he doesn’t rule anything out: “I don’t know if I can win Roland Garros. Anything can happen, and that thing could be that I’m in the final rounds here. If I manage to win games, I can opt for the title, because I have tennis, I’m playing well and I’m feeling very good in training. The thing is I need wins to get that winning mentality and confidence.”