It was Madrid, the Caja Mágica and that kiss to the arena at the power plant that was the origin of everything.
One before and one after.
Don't forget Paula Badosa.
“It gave me a boost and a lot of confidence.
From there, my career went up”, recalls the Catalan, who last year definitely took off when she passed through the San Fermín neighborhood.
She then had just beaten the number one (Ashleigh Barty) in Charleston, and in the Spanish capital she reached the semifinals and reaffirmed herself with great performances: now, yes, she was ready to face anyone.
“That tournament pushed me a lot, it gave me that extra bit of confidence and made me believe in myself.
Coming here and doing it so well at home, where in the end you have more pressure…”, emphasizes the one from Begur, today just one step away from the top, two in the world and respected.
Attest to this Veronika Kudermetova, the Russian who got off this Thursday (6-3 and 6-0, in 1h 05m) in a premiere that was guessed bloody and went from less to more, because Madrid stimulates and stresses at the same time .
Perfectly resolved.
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Osaka, the land and the mirror of Nadal
“I was very nervous and I didn't want to disappoint.
I have managed it well, I have been at a good level”, analyzed the tennis player, demanding with herself as could be.
“I would have liked to have come here a little earlier to adjust to the altitude,” she says.
"But she is training very well," they tell her from her team.
Now, her painting matches her with Simona Halep, another – none like Maria Sharapova – who in her day was a reference for her.
Despite injuries and last year's downline,
the Romanian is a major rival, and more for a second round.
"Yes, Halep... Send eggs!", jokes Badosa, who started this 2022 with the Sydney title and maintains a remarkable dynamic in recent dates: semifinals in Indian Wells and Stuttgart, quarters in Miami and Charleston.
“I wanted to be among the best in the world, that was my dream and my goal, and I have always believed that a small part of me could achieve it.
It is clear that I have gone through very hard processes and that at that time I did not see anything, but I have always dreamed big and that has helped me a lot;
It has made me the tennis player that I am, a brave player who doesn't care about the rival because she will always compete, ”she continues, more exposed than ever given her number two status.
From cramps to illusion
Everything has changed.
She claims him and points to him.
The demand is higher.
"But Serena Williams already said it: that's a privilege," she clarifies.
And she points to the desire: “I wanted to be among the best in the world, that was my dream and my goal, and I have always believed that a small part of me could achieve it.
It is clear that I have gone through very hard processes [she suffered a depression for two years] and that at that time I did not see anything, but I have always dreamed big and that has helped me a lot;
It has made me the tennis player that I am, a brave player who doesn't care about her rival because she will always compete”.
Now, the Spanish woman has between eyebrows and eyebrows to succeed in the San Fermín neighborhood, where in other times she left dejected, cramped and consumed by nerves;
a scenario that generates a great illusion and where she is now seen as one of her favorites: “From Madrid to heaven, right?
It is where my career began to go up, playing with an audience like the one from Madrid is very special.
My dream is to win here."
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