"Nadal and Sharapova impress me the most" - Interview of 17-year-old Paula Badosa resurfaces after her stellar run at WTA Finals
Before Paula Badosa started making waves on the WTA circuit, she had a successful junior career. As a 17-year-old, the New York-born Spaniard lifted the girls' singles trophy at Roland Garros in 2015, defeating Anna Kalinskaya in the final.
An interview of Badosa after her French Open triumph recently resurfaced in which she expressed her admiration for Maria Sharapova and fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
When asked by Matteo Mosciatti of Spazio Tennis which players impressed her the most, the youngster picked Sharapova and Nadal right away.
"I always say that the one who impresses me most is Maria Sharapova: I love how she works on the court," she said. "Rafa Nadal for the same reason. Hard worker."
Giugno 2015, Paula #Badosa era una niña 🇪🇸
“Mi impressionano #Sharapova e #Nadal”
“Non riesco a star ferma, mi piace ballare. Altri sport? Tifo #Barcellona”
“Dove mi vedo tra 10 anni? Su un campo da #tennis”
@paulabadosa ⭐️ #AKRONWTAFinals spaziotennis.com/interv/paula-b…
Badosa also heaped lavish praise on her compatriot and former World No. 6 Carla Suarez Navarro, who has retired following a successful return to competition after beating cancer. The two often used to practise together and the young Badosa had the utmost respect for her countrywoman.
"Carla is a great tennis player and person," she said. "She is so humble and hard worker and we have a good relationship. She is doing great, she plays a fantastic tennis and now she is doing very good results. So happy for her!"
When asked about her interests outside of tennis, the youngster revealed that she was a Barcelona fan.
"I don’t really practice any sport except tennis," she said. "Sometimes I watch football: I am a Barcelona follower."
The 17-year-old Badosa also hoped to make rapid strides in the sport and keep playing tennis at the top level.
"Wow, that’s a hard question!" she said. "I hope I will keep playing tennis: this is my dream."
A look at Paula Badosa's breakout season
After experiencing the greatest moment of her junior career in 2015, Paula Badosa had her senior breakthrough six years later, firmly cementing herself in the top tier of women's tennis.
The Spanish star had a dream clay season, where she made the semis in Charleston and Madrid and won the title in Belgrade. Badosa carried that momentum into Roland Garros, where she made her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Having endured a quiet few months, she caught fire once again towards the end of the season. At Indian Wells, Badosa beat three Grand Slam champions to claim the biggest title of her career, which also earned her a spot in the prestigious WTA Finals for the first time in her career.
The World No. 10 won two of her group matches to advance to the semifinals, where her superb season came to an end at the hands of two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza.