Paula Badosa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paula Badosa

Badosa at the 2024 Washington Open
Country (sports)	Spain
Residence	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Born	(1997-11-15) 15 November 1997 (age 27) New York City, United States
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Turned pro	2015
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Pol Toledo Bagué
Prize money	$7,895,679
Singles
Career record	361–199 (64.46%)
Career titles	4
Highest ranking	No. 2 (25 April 2022)
Current ranking	No. 12 (11 November 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	SF (2025)
French Open	QF (2021)
Wimbledon	4R (2021, 2022, 2024)
US Open	QF (2024)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	SF (2021)
Olympic Games	QF (2021)
Doubles
Career record	22–23 (48.89%)
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 124 (25 April 2022)
Current ranking	No. 179 (16 December 2024)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2021)
French Open	1R (2020, 2021)
Wimbledon	2R (2021)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	2R (2021)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	1R (2024)
US Open	1R (2024)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	2–2 (50%)

Paula Badosa Gibert (born 15 November 1997) is a professional tennis player from Spain. She has been ranked as high as world No. 2 in singles by the WTA. She has also reached No. 124 in doubles. Paula has won four singles titles on the WTA Tour. This includes a big WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells. She also reached a major semifinal at the 2025 Australian Open.

As a junior player, Paula was ranked No. 8 in the world. She won the 2015 French Open junior championship. She became a professional player in 2015. By 2019, she was among the top 100 players. In 2020, she reached the fourth round at the French Open. This helped her get into the top 70.

Paula had a great year in 2021. She won her first title in Belgrade. She then won the WTA 1000 title at Indian Wells. This helped her enter the top ten. In early 2022, she reached her highest ranking of world No. 2. After some injuries, her ranking dropped in early 2024. But she made a strong comeback later that year. She returned to the top 15 and was named the Comeback Player of the Year.

Paula Badosa is known for her strong playing style. She hits the ball hard from the back of the court. Her game uses a powerful serve and strong groundstrokes. She is 1.80 meters tall, which helps her serve fast. She can also defend well and cover the court.

About Paula Badosa

Paula Badosa was born in Manhattan, New York. Her parents, Mireia Gibert Baró and Josep Badosa Codolar, are Spanish. Both of her parents worked in fashion. When Paula was seven, her family moved back to Barcelona, Spain. She started playing tennis there. At 14, she moved to Valencia to improve her tennis skills. She returned to Barcelona when she was 17.

Paula speaks Spanish, Catalan, and English. She also knows a little French. Her favorite tournament is the US Open. When she was growing up, her tennis heroes were Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova. She also admires Simona Halep.

Tennis Journey

Junior Years

Paula as a junior player in 2014

Paula Badosa was once ranked No. 8 in the world as a junior. She started playing on the ITF Junior Circuit in September 2012, when she was 14. In February 2014, she won her first junior singles title. This was at the Mediterranee Avenir tournament in Casablanca. In April 2014, she won a doubles title in Villena.

At the 2014 French Open for juniors, she reached the quarterfinals in both singles and doubles. She also reached the singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon for juniors. She finished second in singles at the European Junior Championships. She also finished second in doubles. She ended her junior career at the 2015 French Open. There, she won the girls' singles title. She won three singles and one doubles title as a junior.

Starting as a Professional (2012–2020)

Paula started playing on the ITF Women's Circuit in May 2012. In November 2013, she won her first professional title.

In March 2015, she got a special entry into the main part of the Miami Open. This was a big tournament. She won her first two matches on the WTA Tour there. She then lost to the 14th seed, Karolína Plíšková. Later, she played in the Madrid Open.

Paula at the 2018 Nottingham Open

At the 2018 Morocco Open, she reached the quarterfinals. In September, she won a tournament in Valencia, Spain.

In 2019, she played in her first Grand Slam main draw at the 2019 Australian Open. She reached her first WTA semifinal at the Palermo Ladies Open. After this, she entered the top 100 players in the world.

In early 2020, Paula won her first Grand Slam match at the Australian Open. Her biggest success that year was at the French Open. She reached the fourth round, which was her best result at a major tournament so far. She beat two former Grand Slam champions there.

Big Wins and Top 10 Ranking (2021)

In May 2021, Paula reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal at the Madrid Open. She was the first Spanish woman to do this. She beat a top player, Belinda Bencic. This helped her reach a new ranking of world No. 42.

At the Serbia Open, she reached her third clay-court semifinal in a row. She then won her first career title there. She entered the top 40 for the first time.

At the French Open, she reached the quarterfinals of a major tournament for the first time. She won some tough matches to get there.

Paula played for Spain in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In singles, she won her first three matches. But in her quarterfinal match, she had to stop playing. This was because of heatstroke from the hot weather. This event, and complaints from other players, led to changes in match start times.

In August 2021, she reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 26. On October 17, 2021, Paula won the Indian Wells tournament. This was her first WTA 1000 title. After this big win, she entered the top 10 players in the world on November 8, 2021. She also played in the 2021 WTA Finals and reached the semifinals.

Reaching World No. 2 (2022)

Paula won her third career title at the 2022 Sydney International.

Paula started 2022 at the Sydney Tennis Classic. She won her third WTA title there. She beat Barbora Krejčíková in the final. This win helped her reach a new career-high ranking of No. 6.

At the Australian Open, she reached the fourth round for the first time. She became the highest-ranked Spanish player. She also entered the top 5 in the world.

At the Dubai tournament, she lost early. But her ranking still went up to No. 4. At the Qatar Ladies Open, she reached the round of 16.

At Indian Wells, she was the defending champion. She reached the semifinals but lost there. After Ashleigh Barty retired, Paula had a chance to become world No. 1. But Iga Świątek secured that spot. At the Miami Open, Paula reached the quarterfinals. She had to stop playing due to illness. With this, she reached a new career-high ranking of No. 3.

She started the clay court season at the Charleston Open. She reached the quarterfinals there. At Stuttgart, she reached the semifinals. Her win over Ons Jabeur helped her reach her career-high ranking of No. 2.

At her home tournament in Madrid, she lost in the second round. This made her ranking drop to No. 3. At the French Open, she had to stop playing in her third-round match due to a calf injury.

This injury made her miss some grass court tournaments. At Wimbledon, she reached the fourth round. She lost to Simona Halep there.

She then played in the US hard court tournaments. She reached the semifinals at the Silicon Valley Classic. But she had to stop playing due to cramping at the Canadian Open. Her results were not as strong for the rest of the year. She finished the year ranked No. 13.

Injuries and Comeback (2023–2024)

In 2023, Paula faced many injuries. She had to withdraw from the Adelaide International 2 semifinals. This injury also made her miss the Australian Open. She dropped out of the top 20.

She returned for the Middle East tournaments but had to withdraw from one due to illness. At Indian Wells, she lost to the eventual champion, Elena Rybakina. At the Miami Open, she lost to Rybakina again in a close match. These losses made her ranking drop outside the top 30.

She reached the quarterfinals at the Charleston Open. She also had some good wins at Stuttgart and Madrid. At the Italian Open, she reached the quarterfinals.

During the Italian Open, she got a stress fracture in her spine. This serious injury made her miss the French Open. She tried to play at Wimbledon, but her back pain forced her to stop playing in her second match. She tried to come back later in the year but had to end her season early due to the ongoing back pain. She finished 2023 ranked No. 66.

In 2024, Paula made her comeback. She played at the Australian Open and reached the third round. She faced more injury setbacks in early 2024. Doctors told her it would be hard to continue her career. She started getting regular shots to manage the pain.

At the Miami Open, she played against Simona Halep. Paula won this match in three sets. This was a big win for her. However, she then fell out of the top 100 for the first time in years.

Paula started to improve her season at the Italian Open. She reached the fourth round there. She also reached the third round at the French Open. She decided to skip the Paris Olympics to focus on her career.

She reached the quarterfinals at Bad Homburg. This helped her return to the top 100. At Wimbledon, she reached the fourth round.

Paula received a special entry to the Washington Open. She reached the final and won her fourth career title. This win helped her return to the top 50. She then reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal since 2022 at Cincinnati.

At the US Open, Paula reached her second Grand Slam quarterfinal. This was her first time reaching the quarterfinals at the US Open. She returned to the top 20 in the rankings.

At the China Open, she reached her second WTA 1000 semifinal in a row. She beat world No. 3 Jessica Pegula there. This win helped her return to the top 15. She had to stop playing at the Ningbo Open semifinals due to dizziness.

Paula finished 2024 ranked No. 12. She was named the WTA Comeback Player of the Year. This was a great achievement after her injury struggles.

Grand Slam Semifinal (2025)

At the Australian Open, Paula was seeded 11th. She reached her first Australian Open quarterfinal. She then beat the 3rd seed, Coco Gauff, to reach her first ever Grand Slam semifinal. This amazing result helped her return to the world's top 10 players.

How Paula Plays Tennis

Paula getting ready for a forehand shot.

Paula Badosa is an aggressive baseliner. This means she hits the ball hard from the back of the court. Her game is built around her powerful serve and groundstrokes. She says her serve is her favorite shot. Her first serve can reach speeds of 122 mph (196 km/h). This allows her to hit many aces and control the game from the start. She also has good second serves that are hard for opponents to attack.

Paula's strongest shot is her two-handed backhand. She hits many winners with this shot. Her forehand is also powerful. She can hit it with great depth and power. She often uses a special forehand shot to create sharp angles. This helps her hit winners even when she is defending. Paula likes to play short points. She tries to finish points quickly with powerful shots.

Even though she plays aggressively, Paula is also a great defender. She moves very well around the court. Her footwork and stamina help her defend tough shots. She can also hit a good drop shot. This changes the speed of the game and can surprise her opponents. Paula does not come to the net very often. But she is getting better at it as she gains more doubles experience. She is also known for being mentally tough and calm under pressure.

Paula's favorite court surface is clay. She grew up playing on clay courts. In 2021, she won 85% of her matches on clay. Because of her aggressive style, clay court skills, and mental strength, she is often compared to her idol, Maria Sharapova.

Sponsors

Paula Badosa is sponsored by Nike for her clothing, shoes, and gear. She uses Wilson racquets, specifically the Wilson Blade 98. She is also a brand ambassador for Iberdrola, a Spanish power company.

Personal Life

As of May 2023, Paula was in a relationship with fellow tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas. In May 2024, she announced they had broken up. But they got back together three weeks later.

On TV and Film

Paula Badosa appeared in a tennis TV show called Break Point. It started on Netflix on January 13, 2023.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Singles Performance

Images for kids

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  Paula Badosa at the 2024 Washington Open.

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  Paula as a junior player in 2014.

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  Paula at the 2018 Nottingham Open.

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  Paula winning her third career title at the 2022 Sydney International.

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  Paula at the Mubadala Citi Open, July 2024.

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  Paula getting ready for a forehand shot at the 2018 Nottingham Open.

See also

In Spanish: Paula Badosa para niños