SPANISH ace Rafael Nadal has dominated tennis since his first major title in 2005.
Nadal’s success has spurred a new generation of tennis players, including Paula Badosa, with the sport being the second most followed in the country.
Who is tennis ace Paula Badosa?
Paula Badosa was born in Manhattan, New York to Spanish parents on November 15, 1997.
Her family moved to Barcelona when she was seven, which is when she started to play tennis.
At the age of 14, Badosa moved to Valencia to focus on her tennis career before returning to Barcelona when she was 17.
Growing up, her tennis idols were Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova although she has also admitted to being a huge admirer of Simona Halep.
On the junior circuit, Badosa won three singles titles and one doubles title, reaching a world ranking of 8.
In 2021, she became the first female Spanish tennis player to reach the semi-finals of the Madrid Open in the tournament’s history.
The following year, she reached the heights of being ranked world number 2 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
She has three career WTA singles titles, with her best Grand Slam tournament performance coming as she reached the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2021.
