Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has found herself in another tough spot, dropping outside of the world’s top 100 after a continued injury battle. A stress fracture on Badosa’s back threatened her career altogether, and she thought she would have to retire young, but the 28-year-old suddenly enjoyed a resurgence in 2024. However, another injury reared its head last year, just as she had returned to the top 10, and she is now attempting to rebuild momentum after falling to No. 112.

Badosa has faced criticism during her run of injuries and recently had to hit back at one social media user who accused her of being “disrespectful to the game”. And Spanish tennis icon Alex Corretja has now had his say, responding to others who believe the four-time title winner “focuses on TikTok and Instagram” more than her tennis.

The world No. 112 is continuing her comeback at this week’s Charleston Open, but has a long road ahead if she wants to return to the top of tennis again. Badosa has been open about her injury hell – and the mental struggles that have followed – on social media.

But Corretja believes this has led some to wrongly brand Badosa as a “TikToker” rather than a tennis player. A fellow former world No. 2, he told AS: “It’s tough. Paula’s transition is proving very uncomfortable.

“She’s trying hard and is very open on social media, which confuses some people because they think she’s more focused on TikTok or Instagram than on working. And that’s simply not true. The reality is that she trains countless hours a day and prepares to be the best she can be. She’s not a TikToker who plays tennis; she’s a tennis player who uses the platforms to have fun and unwind a bit.”

Badosa has had mixed results so far this season as she continues her comeback from a hip injury that she picked up last year, not the back issue that plagued her for years before that. After losing her opening match at Wimbledon, she made a short-lived comeback in the autumn and did not play again until the start of this season.

Across her first four tournaments this year, Badosa went 2-4 in matches. Then, in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships, she was forced to retire mid-match. Badosa lost early in Indian Wells but bounced back at a lower-level WTA 125 event in Austin, reaching the semi-finals. The Spaniard lost her second match in Miami and is now competing in Charleston, where she’s through to round two.

Reflecting on her latest comeback, Corretja added: “I hope she finds a balance physically so she can continue to improve. Because if you stop every time you compete and your progress stalls, you don’t gain confidence, you don’t develop your feel for the game, and you don’t have the peace of mind that you’ll be able to keep progressing. That’s very important for Paula right now.”

It was during tournament media in Charleston that Badosa revealed that she had, in fact, suffered a torn labrum in her right hip last year. “People don’t know. A lot of people have been asking me about the back, and that’s something I’m trying to figure out, but it’s at least under control,” she explained.

“It’s not that now. Last year, starting in February and especially after Wimbledon, it was my psoas touching the tendon. But then I broke my labrum. It’s all very connected, but it’s tough to compete like this. I was maybe at my best level after Australia. Then all of the sudden, I saw myself on the couch again for the second time.”

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