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	$ 9,047,058
Singles
Career record	378–209 (64.4%)
Career titles	4
Highest ranking	No. 2 (25 April 2022)
Current ranking	No. 9 (23 June 2025)
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	26–24 (52%)
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 124 (25 April 2022)
Current ranking	No. 142 (23 June 2025)
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. This top ranking was achieved by the WTA on 25 April 2022. She has also been ranked No. 124 in doubles.

Paula has won four singles titles on the WTA Tour. One of her biggest wins was a 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 joined the top 100 professional players in 2019. In 2021, she had a great year on clay courts. She won her first title in Belgrade. She then won the WTA 1000 title at Indian Wells. This helped her reach the top 10. She reached her highest ranking of world No. 2 in early 2022.

After facing some injuries, Paula's ranking dropped in early 2024. However, 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 plays an aggressive style of tennis. She uses her powerful serve and strong groundstrokes. She is also very athletic and good at defense.

About Paula Badosa

Early Life and Family

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 the fashion industry.

When Paula was seven, her family moved back to Barcelona, Spain. She started playing tennis there at Club Tennis d'Aro. At 14, she moved to Valencia to improve her tennis skills. She returned to Barcelona when she was 17.

Languages and Interests

Besides Spanish, Paula speaks Catalan and English. She also knows a little French. Her favorite tournament is the US Open.

Growing up, her tennis heroes were Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova. She also admires Simona Halep. When she was younger, she wanted to be a model, like her parents. Paula has also shared that she has faced challenges with her mental well-being.

Paula's Tennis Journey

Junior Career Highlights

Badosa 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. She was 14 years old then.

In 2014, she won her first junior singles title in Casablanca. She also won a doubles title that year. She reached the quarterfinals in both singles and doubles at the 2014 French Open junior division. She also made it to the singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon as a junior.

Paula finished her junior career by winning the girls' singles title at the 2015 French Open. She won three singles and one doubles title in her junior career.

Starting Professional Tennis (2012–2020)

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

In 2015, she played in her first big WTA tournament, the Miami Open. She won her first two matches there. She then lost to the 14th seed, Karolína Plíšková.

Badosa at the 2018 Nottingham Open

In 2018, Paula reached the quarterfinals at the Morocco Open. She also won a big tournament in Valencia, Spain.

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

In 2020, Paula won her first match at a Grand Slam tournament at the 2020 Australian Open. Her best result that year was reaching the fourth round at the French Open. She beat two former Grand Slam champions there.

Breakthrough Year (2021)

In May 2021, Paula reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal at the Madrid Open. She was the first Spanish woman to do so. She then won her first career title at the Serbia Open. This helped her enter the top 40.

At the French Open, she reached the quarterfinals for the first time at a major. She represented Spain at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She reached the quarterfinals in singles. However, she had to stop playing due to heatstroke. This event helped change the start times for matches at the Olympics.

In August 2021, Paula reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 26. On 17 October 2021, she won her first WTA 1000 title at Indian Wells. She beat Victoria Azarenka in a very exciting match. She then entered the top 10 on 8 November 2021. She also reached the semifinals at the 2021 WTA Finals.

Reaching World No. 2 (2022)

Badosa winning her third career title at the 2022 Sydney International

Paula started 2022 by winning her third WTA title at the Sydney Tennis Classic. She beat the reigning French Open champion, 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 then became the highest-ranked Spanish player. She reached world No. 2 in April 2022. This was her highest career ranking.

She reached the semifinals at Indian Wells as the defending champion. She also reached the quarterfinals at the Miami Open. She had to stop playing due to illness.

Paula continued to play well on clay courts. She reached the semifinals at Stuttgart. She lost in the second round at her home tournament in Madrid. At the French Open, she had to stop playing in the third round due to a calf injury.

She reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. She then reached the semifinals at the Silicon Valley Classic. However, she faced more injuries and illnesses later in the year. She finished 2022 ranked No. 13.

Injury Challenges (2023)

Paula started 2023 playing for Spain at the United Cup. She reached the semifinals at the Adelaide International 2. However, she had to withdraw due to an injury. This injury also made her miss the Australian Open.

She faced more injuries and illnesses throughout 2023. She reached the quarterfinals at the Charleston Open. She also had good wins at Stuttgart and Madrid.

At the Italian Open, she reached the quarterfinals. But during a match, she suffered a stress fracture in her spine. This serious injury made her miss the French Open. She tried to return at Wimbledon, but her back pain forced her to stop playing. She ended her season early due to the injury. Paula finished 2023 ranked No. 66.

Strong Comeback (2024)

Badosa at the Mubadala Citi Open, July 2024

Paula returned from her back injury in January 2024. She reached the third round at the Australian Open. She faced more small injuries early in the year.

At the Miami Open, she had a big comeback win against Simona Halep. This was Halep's first tournament back after a long break. Paula then lost to Aryna Sabalenka.

She continued to work on her recovery. She reached the third round at the French Open. She then had a great run at Bad Homburg, reaching the quarterfinals. This helped her return to the top 100.

At Wimbledon, she reached the fourth round. She then played at the Washington Open. She won her fourth career title there, beating Marie Bouzková in the final. This win helped her return to the top 50.

Paula continued her strong form. She reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal since 2022 at Cincinnati. She also reached her second Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open. This helped her return to the top 20.

She reached another WTA 1000 semifinal at the China Open. She beat world No. 3 Jessica Pegula there. She returned to the top 15 in the rankings. She had to withdraw from some later tournaments due to illness and dizziness.

Paula finished 2024 ranked No. 12. She was given the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award for her amazing return from injury.

Major Semifinal (2025)

At the 2025 Australian Open, Paula was seeded 11th. She reached her first Australian Open quarterfinal. She then upset third seed Coco Gauff to reach her first ever major semifinal. As a result, she returned to the world's top 10.

How Paula Plays Tennis

Badosa preparing for a forehand shot in 2018

Paula Badosa is an aggressive player who hits from the baseline. 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 points. She also has good second serves that prevent opponents from getting easy points.

Paula's strongest shot is her two-handed backhand. She hits many winners with it. Her forehand is also very powerful. She often uses a special "buggy-whip" forehand to create sharp angles and hit winners. Paula likes to finish points quickly with strong shots.

Even though she plays aggressively, Paula is also a very good defensive player. She moves well, has great footwork, and covers the court effectively. This allows her to hit counter-shots and win long rallies. She also has a good drop shot and can use a sliced backhand to change the pace of a rally.

Paula usually does not come to the net much. However, as she plays more doubles, she is starting to attack the net more often. She is also known for her mental toughness and stays calm under pressure.

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

Sponsors

Paula is sponsored by Nike for her clothing, shoes, and gear. She uses Wilson racquets, specifically the Wilson Blade 98. She is also an ambassador for Iberdrola, a Spanish power company. In May 2025, Paula partnered with The 1916 Company to create a jewelry collection called 'Aces'.

Paula's Personal Life

As of May 2023, Paula was in a relationship with fellow tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas. In May 2024, they announced they had separated. However, they reunited three weeks later.

On Screen

Paula Badosa appeared in Season 1 of the tennis TV series Break Point. This show premiered on Netflix on 13 January 2023.

Career statistics

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

See also

In Spanish: Paula Badosa para niños