'Keep fighting': Badosa is back -- and she's dangerous

2025 was quite a challenging year for Paula Badosa on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.

The former World No. 2 started very strong, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open -- her best-ever showing at a major -- but not much went right after that. She dealt with nagging back issues throughout the season and only played two matches after Wimbledon. She fell from No. 12 in the PIF WTA Rankings to No. 25.

But after an extended preseason -- the longest of her career -- the Spaniard got back to work, "starting from zero," as she puts it.

"It was very intense," the 28-year-old says. "I remember starting at the beginning, and I was like, 'Woah, this is gonna be a lot.' There are gonna be some frustrating parts, maybe sometimes you're thinking you want to quit, but then you want to keep fighting."

And fight she did. Believing that her fitness was lacking in the years prior, she pushed her body to the limit in the weeks ahead of the Australian swing and has been pleasantly surprised with how it's responded. She's feeling strong, is recovering well after intense sessions, and is excited to get back on the court and reclaim her spot in the upper tier of the rankings.

With that excitement also comes nerves, especially considering she had only played one full match in the five months before her first tournament of the year, in Brisbane.

"I'm always the person that plays with excitement," she says, "but also with a lot of nerves because I care. I'm just very emotional. But I'm really looking forward to it."

It certainly got nervy in Badosa's first match against Marie Bouzkova, as the latter won the opening set in a tiebreaker. But Badosa responded beautifully, taking the second set 6-4 before winning the decider 6-2. 

That Round of 32 match actually wasn't Badosa's first of 2026, though. Two days earlier, she teamed with her pal, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, in doubles. The pair gutted out a hard-fought 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) victory over Zhang Shuai and Liudmila Samsonova.

The decision to kick off her comeback campaign in doubles was a strategic one, as it gave her an opportunity to get a feel for the court, and get her feet under her, before competing in singles. But there was also a fun factor at play. Badosa and Sabalenka haven't had much of an opportunity to play together over the past couple years -- they teamed up briefly in 2022, winning two of their five matches -- and felt that now was the right time to reunite.

It's a natural pairing -- not only because of their playing styles, but also because of their camaraderie both on court and off. It also doesn't hurt to learn from -- and be pushed by -- the best player on Earth, a fact that isn't lost on Badosa. The four-time WTA Tour champion prides herself on her inexhaustible work ethic and propensity to continue learning, and there are always lessons to be learned from the four-time Grand Slam champion.

"We both enjoy each other," she says. "Playing together, training together, spending time together. I really enjoy being next to her. I also learn from her. At the end of the day, she's No. 1 in the world. It's the best way to start the year."

Badosa's 2026 goals: Health, consistency and a return to the upper tier

Badosa's 2026 goal, above all else, is to stay healthy and play a full season. If she's able to do that, she knows the sky is the limit.

"If that goes well," she says, "my goals are always going to be big. I consider myself [to] belong with the best players in the world."

Assuming she stays on court, she'll have a terrific chance of rising up the rankings. She doesn't have many points to defend, and the second half of the season is wide open. 

One place she will have to defend points is Melbourne, after reaching the final four last year. That will be a tall order for Badosa, but she loves the Australian swing and tends to produce terrific results at the start of the year. (She also won the WTA 500 Sydney Tennis Classic in 2022.)

"I love the conditions," Badosa says. "I love the atmosphere that's created every time you play a match here. Plus, the excitement of being in the preseason and then coming back on tour and starting the year."

But she's not looking ahead to the Australian Open. The focus is on Brisbane, where she faces a stiff test -- perhaps the stiffest on tour right now, aside from maybe her teammate Sabalenka -- in Elena Rybakina, last year's WTA Finals champion who has won 12 straight matches dating back to last year. 

This will be a rubber match in their head-to-head, with each player winning four matches apiece. (Rybakina has won the last three.)

After Brisbane, Badosa will head to Adelaide for the WTA 500 Adelaide International, and from there it's onto Melbourne.