Paula Badosa opened up about the health challenges she faced during her second-round clash at the 2025 French Open.
Before the clay-court tournament, the Spaniard competed at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, where she reached the quarterfinals, losing to eventual runner-up, Liudmila Samsonova.
Paula Badosa Opens Up About Playing With Fever During French Open 2R
During her second-round match against Ruse, Badosa appeared to struggle on the court. In the post-match press conference, the Spaniard clarified that she was not dealing with an injury but was experiencing a fever, which contributed to her discomfort during the match.
The former World No. 2 explained that the fever left her with “no energy,” but with the support of her physio and her team, she managed to persevere and secure the win.
“No, it wasn’t an injury this time, so I’m happy about that. I just had a little bit of fever, and I had no energy, and it was tough for me. But I took everything I had in that moment, the physios and my team gave me some stuff, and I tried to stay there,” Badosa said.
Paula Badosa also mentioned that throughout the match she was trying to stay calm, as was aiming to avoid making the contest more physically demanding, which could have worsened her condition.
“You never know you’re playing a singles match, so you’re playing against another player, so you never know what can happen also with her. So I was just trying to stay calm, going for the first shots, trying to serve well, and not making it very physical. I’m happy that I managed the important moments and it went on my side,” she added.
Seeded 10th at the 2025 French Open, Badosa began her run with a victory over Naomi Osaka in the first round, winning 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4.
Paula Badosa To Face Daria Kasatkina at the 2025 French Open 3R
Following her win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round of the 2025 French Open, Paula Badosa is set to take on 17th seed Daria Kasatkina in the third round.
Kasatkina began her run at the clay-court Major by defeating Kateřina Siniaková in the first round, winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. In the second round, the former World No. 8 secured a 6-4, 6-2 win over wild card Léolia Jeanjean, advancing to the third round where she will take on Badosa.
Badosa and Kasatkina have faced each other six times on the WTA Tour, with each securing three victories. Their most recent encounter was in the semifinals of the 2024 Ningbo Open, where Badosa lost the first set 4-6 and subsequently withdrew from the match due to illness. Kasatkina went on to claim the title, defeating Mirra Andreeva in the final with a score of 6-0, 4-6, 6-4, securing her eighth WTA Tour singles title.
The winner of the Badosa-Kasatkina match will advance to face either sixth seed Mirra Andreeva or 32nd seed Yulia Putintseva in the fourth round of the French Open.