Paula Badosa was overcome with emotion. Soon after firing an unreturnable serve on match point, and with a Mubadala Citi DC Open title secure, Badosa fell to the ground and wept.
A tournament champion for the first time in more than two-and-a-half years, Badosa beat Marie Bouzkova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 Sunday afternoon.
“It means a lot,” Badosa said. “Today was a very tough day for me because I really wanted to win this title no matter what. It was very emotional. Finally, I got it. I'm super proud of myself.”
Badosa spoke openly this week about the challenges she faced after a career-threating back injury kept her from playing for the final six months of 2023. Her immediate return to Tour in January didn’t go smoothly.
“A lot of people put me down,” she said. “I had to fight through that and I had to keep believing in myself.”
Badosa’s team preached patience, and ultimately it paid off. The former World No.2 started to regain her form in May. Deep runs followed this spring and the foundation was laid for an eventual breakthrough. That came this week as Badosa beat multiple Grand Slam champions and finally felt like her old self.
“Especially what I went through the last year, for me being back, winning big titles like a 500, winning against the best players this the world, being competitive against them again, for me it means a lot.”
Badosa, who opted out of the Olympics and accepted a wild card in Washington instead, was especially aggressive this week. She dictated play from the baseline while marching through the bracket, firing 35 winners in the final and winning 78% of her first-serve points.
Soon after reaching the second week at Wimbledon last month, Badosa made a conscious decision to “go for it,” during the US hardcourt season.
The 26-year-old hopes to now use her DC success as a springboard into Toronto, Cincinnati and New York.
“Well, I think now I'm in a really good place,” she said after improving to 4-0 lifetime in WTA finals.
“Even before the tournament I was feeling good, I was feeling confident. I think I needed to win something, a big title for me, because like my personality, I'm not very - how can I say - I'm not happy always with finals and semifinals. I want to win titles.”
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