November 8, 2021,
Preparation to achieve great results at the Grand Slams is a year-long project.
Sometimes it pays of, other times not as much. Either way you have to press forward and measure your progress by the results you are attaining at the smaller tournaments.
If Paula Badosa’s recent results are any indicator, she is making great progress.
As recently reported by wtatennis.com, “No.21 seed Paula Badosa overcame No.27 Victoria Azarenka 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-6(2) to win the BNP Paribas Open championship in Indian Wells, the final WTA 1000 event of the season.”
Very impressive.
That sounds like progress. Major progress.
The three hour and four minute competition is this year’s longest WTA singles final.
For Ms. Badosa, it is the icing on the cake of a career-best week where she defeated four Top 20 players in a row, vaulting her to the championship match, where she beat Ms. Azarenka to improve to 2-0 in WTA singles finals.
Paula Badosa, born November 15, 1997, is a Spanish professional tennis player.
Her breakthrough came when she won the 2015 French Open girls’ singles title by defeating Anna Kalinskaya in the final.
Her ascension is amazing.
Paula reached her career-high rankings of world No. 13 in singles on October 18, 2021.
Given her upbringing, she had the early stitching to be a future champion.
Paula was born in Manhattan, New York, to Mireia Gibert and Josep Badosa. Both of her parents worked in fashion.
When she was seven, they moved to Barcelona. One of the fashion capitals of the world.
She then started playing tennis, at a club named Playa de Aro. At the age of 14, she moved to Valencia in order to progress in tennis. At the age of 17, she returned to Barcelona.
She speaks Spanish, Catalan, English and a little bit of French, and has been studying high school for about four years at a distance.
Her idol growing up was Maria Sharapova.
Like most of us and the tennis world, her favorite tournament is the US Open.
When she was a child she aspired to be a model, following in her parents’ path. We are extremely glad that she chose tennis.
Here are her early accomplishments.
Paula is a former junior world No. 8.
She made her debut at the ITF Junior Circuit in September 2012, at the age of 14.
In February 2014, she won her first junior singles title at the Grade-1 Mediterranee Avenir in Casablanca. In April 2014, she won the doubles title at a Grade-1 tournament, the Trofeo Juan Carlos Ferrero in Villena. In May 2014, she reached the semifinals of the Grade-A Trofeo Bonfiglio in doubles.
In the juniors division of the 2014 French Open, she reached the quarterfinals in both singles and doubles. She then reached the quarterfinals in the juniors division at Wimbledon in singles. She finished runner-up at the European Junior Championships in singles, losing to compatriot Sara Sorribes Tormo, and finished runner–up in doubles.
She completed her junior career at the 2015 French Open, where she won the girls’ singles title.
As a junior, she won three singles titles and one doubles title on the circuit.
We can see the foundation for future greatness at the highest level was being formed and cemented.
Paula is endorsed by Nike for clothing, shoes, and apparel, and by Wilson for racquets, specifically using the Wilson Blade 98.
It does take a village to raise a talented young person.
When you hear the name Barcelona, what do you think of?
The glorious world travelers at Trip Advisor can help.
At tripadvisor.com they rejoice, “There’s nowhere in the world like Barcelona. From days spent strolling the Gothic Quarter to afternoons at the beach and nights partying ‘til dawn, the city is magnetic.
While tapas and bustling mercados are worth every bit of attention they get in guidebooks, Barcelona’s true crown jewel is the work of Antoni Gaudí. His iconic creations, like the jaw-dropping Basilica of La Sagrada Familia, are instantly recognizable and have fueled millions of travel dreams. You won’t be the only tourist here (especially during the summer), but even amid the crowds you’ll find your own Mediterranean magic any time of year.”
Mediterranean magic. We like that.
Barcelona is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain.
Founded as a Roman city, in the Middle Ages Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona.
It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain.
Barcelona is a transport hub, with the Port of Barcelona being one of Europe’s principal seaports and busiest European passenger port.
With a population of 1.6 million within city limits, its urban area extends to numerous neighboring municipalities within the Province of Barcelona and is home to around 4.8 million people, making it the fifth most populous urban area in the European Union.
Did you know that?
How about this. We found a website where there are at least 47 tennis courts in or around Barcelona. We grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, it is a substantial tennis market, and yet we’ve never heard of that many tennis courts here.
As you can see, Paula had a lot of options for playing tennis in Barcelona.
According to the Köppen climate classification, Barcelona has a hot summer Mediterranean climate, with mild winters.
Ideal for tennis.
No wonder she continues to make history.
Speaking to her recent success at Indian Wells, the group at desertsun.com adds, “Badosa is the first woman from Spain to win this event, joining Rafael Nadal, Jose Higueras and Alex Corretja as Spaniards to win singles titles in the desert. Badosa is also the first player to win a third-set tiebreaker in an Indian Wells championship singles match since American Mary Joe Fernandez in 1993.”
We feel that she is just getting started.
Paula is an aggressive baseliner, whose game is centered around her powerful serve and pounding groundstrokes.
She describes her serve as her favorite shot, with her serve being a major weapon.
Her first serve has been recorded as high as 122 mph, allowing her to serve multiple aces in any given match, and to dictate play from the first stroke. Due to her effective first serve, she typically wins a high percentage of first serve points.
Sounds like a winning formula.
The 2022 Australian Open is right around the corner. Keep an eye on her.
Yes, preparation to achieve great results at the Grand Slams is a year-long project.
Right now, Paula Badosa is ahead of schedule.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Badosa
https://tennisround.com/es/tennis-courts/catalunya/barcelona
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187497-Barcelona_Catalonia-Vacations.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona
https://www.fcielitecompetitor.com/
https://fciwomenswrestling.com/