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Paula Badosa, pain-free, is set to make a big statement during her comeback at Adelaide International
This week, Paula Badosa, the 26-year-old former world number two, will make her injury comeback at the Adelaide International, where four Grand Slam champions are preparing for the final countdown to the Australian Open.
With a stress fracture to her back, Spain’s Badosa missed the second half of 2023, but she was optimistic about her health coming into the event on Monday.
Three-time WTA singles champion Badosa stated, “I want to get back to my level as soon as possible. I know it’s going to be tough at the beginning.”
“It’s been a lot of months that I didn’t play. Winning a Slam, It’s one of my dreams, and it will always be until the day I retire.”
Her last match was when she withdrew from Wimbledon in the second round. She is back in Adelaide after making it to the semifinals the previous year but has to retire due to an injury.
Badosa, who could only participate in one Grand Slam event in 2023, acknowledged that she had made some progress in the past month but that there was not much she could do to hasten her healing.
“Since three, four weeks ago, I’ve been pain-free… but it was like a rollercoaster, a very tough process.”
Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, is ranked first in the women’s ATP-WTA event seeding chart, followed by Marketa Vondrousova, the current All England Club champion, at number three.
Jessica Pegula, who finished second in the WTA Finals in November to top-ranked Iga Swiatek, is positioned in the middle.
Two Roland Garros champions, Barbora Krejcikova (2021) and Jelena Ostapenko (2017), round up the heavyweight field.
The American ranked fifth in the world, Pegula, will begin with a bye and look to improve his career Grand Slam record, which has finished in the quarterfinals six times.
“I feel I’ve put up obviously great stats over the last couple of years, super consistent,” she stated.
“I had a great run at the finals, so hopefully beating that many high-caliber players (at the majors) back-to-back will give me some confidence.”
Tommy Paul of the United States leads the men’s field, with Nicolas Jarry of Chile at number two and Sebastian Korda, a 2023 finalist from the United States, at number three.
Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia, who won the trophy in 2022, will attempt to repeat the feat at Memorial Drive.
After an underwhelming 2023, the world number 65 returns with a bang.
“I got injured a little bit before Davis Cup, so I wasn’t able to play there. I’m looking at this to try and kick-start my year,” he stated.
“This week feels like my starting point where I feel physically and mentally ready to go.”
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In a Dakar crash, Spanish rider Carles Falcon suffered critical injuries; Carlos Sainz is the car’s leader.
Carlos Sainz leads automobiles, and Spanish rider Carles Falcon is critically hurt in a Dakar crash.
Spanish rider Carles Falcon injured in Dakar crash; Carlos Sainz leads.
Spanish rider Carles Falcon seriously injured in Dakar crash; Carlos Sainz leads in cars.
