In an Australian Open women's singles quarterfinal held at noon yesterday, No. 6 seed Bardoza was swept out by former US Open champion Keys in a 3-6, 1-6 score.
The 24-year-old Bardoza is known as "Little Sharapova" because of her resemblance to Sharapova, and because of her Spanish nationality, Chinese fans use the harmonic terrier to jokingly call her "Pan duck Sava".
At last year's Australian Open, 70-ranked Bardoza lost to qualifiers in the first round. From April onwards, Badosa's results began to rise steadily, and she beat No. 5 seed Bencic and world number one Barty all the way to the semifinals at the WTA500 Charleston Open, losing to eventual champion Kudmetova.
In May, Bardoza defeated Bencic again in Madrid, becoming the first Spanish female player in the history of the tournament to reach the semi-finals, but was successfully avenged by Barty in the semi-finals. With the outstanding performances of the above two stops, Bardoza lifted the ranking to a new high of 42nd for the first time.
In the next WTA250 Belgrade leg, Bardoza defeated No. 7 seed Peterson to reach the semi-finals for the third consecutive stop. Her semi-final opponent was Victoria Tomova, the lucky loser of the qualifying round, and Bardoza swept 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the final. In the final, Croatian player Anna Konju retired from the tournament due to injury after falling behind 2-6, 0-2, and Bardoza won their first tour title.
Arriving at the French Open, Bardoza defeated 20th seed Wandrowsova 6-4, 36, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. She then stopped in the quarter-finals of the French Open with a score of 5-7, 6-4, 6-8.
In the subsequent Olympic Games and Cincinnati, Bardoza reached the quarter-finals, both of which were withdrawn due to injury.
In October, Bardoza won six consecutive games in Indian Wells, beating five seeded players, including French Open champion Krejickova, three-time Grand Slam champion Kerber and two-time former tournament champion Azarenka. It was the first WTA 1000 title won by Badosa. With this title, Bardoza is among the top ten in the world for the first time. At the WTA year-end finals, Bardoza reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual champion, fellow Spaniard Muguruzza.
Bardoza's first race this year was the WTA500 Adelaide, with a first-round loss to Azarenka. Next at the WTA500 Sydney leg, Bardoza won five consecutive games to win the title, the third title of her career. Bardoza's path to victory was dominated by very strong players, defeating former French Open champion Ostapenko in the first round, TomJanovic in the second round, Olympic champion Bencic in the quarter-finals, Kasakakina in the semi-finals and French Open champion Krejickova in the final.
Looking back at Bardoza's path of growth, it was not all smooth sailing, and even as an adult, she suffered from depression for a long time.
Born on November 15, 1997 in Manhattan, New York, Bardoza's parents worked in the fashion industry, and they intended to train their daughter to become a model. When Badosa was seven years old, the family moved to Barcelona, Spain, and she began playing tennis at a club called Playa de Aro. At the age of 14, the Bardoza family moved to Valencia to better practice tennis. From the age of 15, Badosa participated in tennis tournaments organized by the ITF and gradually came to prominence.
In 2015, Bardoza won the French Open Junior Women's Singles Title, which was also the last time she competed in the Junior Division. Like many players, Bardoza, who has just entered the adult professional arena, has not performed well. Until 2018, her ranking had been hovering outside the top 200 and she suffered a serious psychological crisis.
For Badosa, entering the adult group means a metamorphosis. She always played one or two of the ideal game, then suffered defeats, then won one or two more, and then suffered defeats. For a long time, Bardoza was trapped in this happy and disappointing pattern.
Recalling the experience, Bardoza said: "From the very beginning, you have to take into account that you lose almost every week. Even Nadal loses every week! Tennis is an addictive and relentless sport. Slowly, I became more mature, I always liked to analyze and summarize, and my understanding of tennis became deeper and deeper. ”
"Paula Badosa had a very difficult time. Ultimately, she decided to speak up (about how depressed she felt) and it was her own decision, and we supported her. I tried to guide her, but Paula decided the way she did. Difficulties and crises are part of every athlete's growth. Bardoza's mother said.
Badosa posted a poster of Sharapova in the room, "I like her mentality, she never gives up. In that sense, she also reminded me of Nadal, and I'm going to be like them in the future. ”
2021 was a turning point for Badosa, who scored a series of major wins on the court, which has allowed her to get more and more attention, "I became a real tennis player." ”
Now, Bardoza's training life is on a professional track, and her training is methodical – from 8 a.m. to the afternoon, with different courses and training programs staggering. In addition, there are dedicated dietitians who take care of her diet, and the team includes a psychologist named Daniel de la Serna.
"I'm trying to follow in Muguruza's footsteps because she won the victory I wanted to win and Nadal is our pride, but one day he will say goodbye to the field. Now it's our generation's turn, and if we can also usher in and represent a new era, why not work hard? I've always been a dreamer and I wake up every day thinking that one day I'll win a Grand Slam too. Bardoza said. (Source: Tennis House Author: Yun Cirrus Yunshu)