Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa was thrilled after officially becoming the new world No. 2, stating that she is happy to see her hard work paying off and grateful to be living her dreams. Badosa, 24, entered the top-20 for the first time in her career after winning Indian Wells last October.
In November, Badosa broke into the top-10 for the first time in her career. Since breaking into the top-10, Badosa has been slowly improving her ranking and now she is just one spot away from being the world No. 1. “Never has a Monday felt so good,” Badosa wrote on Instagram.
“Happy for the road travelled and overcome. It’s taken a lot but in the end, it was all worth it. Grateful to be living my dream. Ps: I don’t usually post rankings but this one I was especially looking forward to.”
Badosa now feels much more pressure
Last week in Stuttgart, Badosa revealed last year she couldn’t understand why Iga Swiatek was struggling and crying on the court.
Now that she is a big star, Badosa admits the expectations and pressure is enormous. “I was talking with my coach about Iga Swiatek because I remember last year she was suffering a lot with every match,” Badosa told WTA Insider.
“I remember seeing her crying on the court. But at the beginning of this year I was talking to my coach and I said I totally understand now what she’s feeling. Because at the beginning I didn’t know what was happening.
This happens to me now. I wanted to cry in the third set today. There’s so much pressure on you and at the end of the day, you’re all alone on the court. It’s a very mental game. But I’m happy I’m getting through it.”
Badosa, who won her lone title of the season earlier this year in Sydney, will be aiming to win her second title of the year next week in Madrid.
