Paula Badosa - 'People have to see that athletes are not robots' - Players’ Voice

This time last year, Paula Badosa was world No. 73. In the space of 12 months, she has won her first WTA title, reached a career-high of world No.

4 in the world rankings and captured her maiden WTA 1000 title at Indian Wells. — — - Ad/> To be the best in the world is something I have always dreamed of, but my first dream since I was very little was to win a Grand Slam. That’s the reason I wake up every morning, to hopefully become a Grand Slam champion one day.

Tennis'Federer is done in the GOAT talk' — Kyrgios17 HOURS AGO 2021 was a very important year for me and a positive step in achieving that dream. I think I'd hit a bit of a barrier of making semi-finals only, so winning my first tournament in Belgrade was a joy and it took a weight off my shoulders. That gave me a lot of confidence and I think that was when everything sort of clicked; my tennis improved and I grew mentally.

/> A few months later, I won Indian Wells which was a dream come true. It isn’t a Grand Slam, but it is a WTA 1000 and a very important tournament. The final against Victoria Azarenka was something spectacular.

Sometimes in a final your nerves can prevent you from playing a good match, but we both played at a very high level and it meant even more to beat a player like her. /> The biggest learning I took from that match is the realisation of my own mental strength. You will never stop having tough moments on court — there are always fears and it’s a constant battle, so to know you can overcome those fears is really important.