The tickling is by no means new, but it was resisted, it took too much begging. It was already 194 days since the last victory. “And unfortunately,” Paula Badosa introduces to journalists after having beaten the North American Taylor Townsend 6-1, 6-3, in 58 minutes, “winning is the best feeling in the world. And I say unfortunately because as I often repeat, you also have to enjoy the process.”
The latter has not been very kind to her lately. Hampered by a back injury since mid-May, the Catalan (26 years old) had achieved her last notch at Wimbledon, on July 5. Before and after, pain and immobility. Anguish. “I've spent the last seven months on the couch,” she said upon her arrival in Melbourne, which sees her smile again on this bearable Monday because everything is going as planned. The good feelings that she brought from training are reflected and the American's resistance breaks quickly, so that the Spaniard advances one square and on Wednesday she will have another opportunity to strengthen her tennis against Anastasia Palyuchenkova (double 6-4 against Dona Vekic ).
“It is my first victory of the season, but especially for me it is my first victory after I don't know how many months, six or seven, and after fighting with the disease [fractura de la vértebra L4] which we all know, so for me it is very special to win again,” he says. “I think it has been very difficult, she has been playing well, especially last week, and I was expecting a different game, very aggressive. You never know what to expect from her, so I'm very happy that I played pretty well and was very consistent. The truth is that I feel very, very good after so many months,” continues the tennis player, today in position 100 in the ranking.
Not even the noise coming from the bar that the organization has installed this year on Court 6 of the venue has confused him. “I tried to block out the noise, because you could hear everything; I think I have handled it quite well…” she adds happily, more than satisfied because in this debut it was necessary to play well (objective met), win if possible (also) and not prolong her stay on the court (full). “Every day I'm a little better, I'm adapting to the level I have to reach. I prefer very fast matches now, because it took me a lot to recover my physique after the previous one [en Adelaida, donde reapareció tras su prolongada ausencia]. I think I can do it well, but it depends on the physique. It is normal. If in one or two months I can chain matches, I will be fine,” she concludes in the conference room.
Osaka, return without prize
Previously, Spanish tennis has celebrated the advances of Rebeka Masarova (6-3 and 6-4 against Aliaksandra Sasnovich) and Alejandro Davidovich (6-4, 6-4 and 7-6(5) against Lestienne), but has also regretted the exits of Roberto Carballés (6-3, 6-2, 3-6 and 6-4 in favor of Hugo Gaston) and Roberto Bautista (6-2, 7-6 (2) and 7-5). “Since he was not seeded after many years [fue octavofinalista en la edición pasada]”I didn't have a good draw,” said the latter, who broke his fibula while riding a horse in September and has not been able to take off since then. “It is a challenge that I have for this year, it is a situation that motivates me. Something that is new for me and that is not going to be easy,” he says.
The news of the day, in any case, was the return of Naomi Osaka. The 26-year-old Japanese woman had not competed for 15 months and on her return, after having become a mother for the first time, she collided with a real bone, the Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia (6-4 and 7-6(2). Logically , the winner of four majors and former number one accuses the lack of rhythm. “I think it was a really good match, I did the best I could. I feel like I couldn't have done anything more under these circumstances. When I was in Los Angeles [ejercitándose durante la pretemporada] I thought I wouldn't be able to last with any of the girls I've played against, so I'm positive; I am capable of playing and also challenging them,” says goodbye to the 2019 and 2021 champion, who in this time in Australia – she played in the Adelaide preparatory team before – has one victory and two defeats. Mileage, which at the end of the day is what she was looking for.
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