Starting the year ranked 25th and currently at 57 in the world, one could say that Paula Badosa took another backward step this season, especially given that the Spaniard is a former World No. 2. However, behind the numerical decline of her ranking lies a year that has seen the Spaniard struggle with injuries, while also showing glimpses of her true potential on court. With her season ending in Hong Kong, the Spaniard was all for looking back on a tough year on the Tour.

“Looking at these pictures in black and white, I feel like it reflects this season better than any words could,” said Badosa on her Instagram, where she shared a carousel of monochromatic pictures of herself from various events. “It hasn’t been an easy one. There have been moments that have hurt more than people know, days when things felt heavier than they should, and times when I’ve had to deal with a lot more than just what happens on the court.”

“This season has tested my patience, my confidence and my ability to keep going when things haven’t gone my way,” said Badosa. “It hasn’t always been easy to stay positive, but even on the hardest days, one thing never changed: I never stopped believing in myself and in what I’m capable of.”

2026 has been a one-step-forward, two-step-back kind of season for Badosa, who has finished with a 29-23 win-loss record. The Spaniard’s best stretch of results in the year came during the short clay-court period after Wimbledon. The former World No. 2 won 10 of her 12 matches during that phase, which included a Challenger-level title at the Nordea Open, a runner-up finish at the WTA 250 event at Iasi and a quarterfinal run in Hamburg.

However, during the European clay-court season, Badosa’s form was in the doldrums, and losing four consecutive matches at Charleston, Linz, Stuttgart, and Madrid saw the Spaniard fall out of the Top 100 on the WTA Rankings. She missed the direct entry cut for the French Open, and decided against playing the qualifying rounds to preserve her body.

Injuries have been a mainstay in Badosa’s playing career, with the Spaniard struggling with chronic back issues for quite some time, often taking injections to be fit to play. She struggled with her body, which saw her retire from some big matches such as against Elina Svitolina in Dubai, and more importantly against Mayar Sherif in the Iasi Open final, which was Badosa’s first Tour-level final in almost two years.

The end of the season saw Badosa struggle with heat at Guangzhou and Hong Kong, where the Spaniard had to call for medical help, and her blood pressure was measured. While she was still able to finish her match against Harriet Dart in Guangzhou, albeit in a loss, Badosa pulled the plug after losing the first set 7-5 to Elena Pridankina at the Hong Kong Open, ending her season in tears, something she alluded to in her Instagram post.

“I know how much I’ve put into this, how many sacrifices I’ve made and how badly I wanted things to be different,” said Badosa. “And even though this isn’t how I wanted my season to end, I’m proud of myself for continuing to show up, to fight and to give everything I had, even when it wasn’t easy.”

Despite having so many injury concerns, it is a credit to Badosa that she still gritted it out till the last week of the season. Long social media messages were becoming common as several players like Laura Siegemund, Eva Lys and even some top players like Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek have ended their seasons early due to injuries or battling physical issues.

While injuries and physical issues hampered Badosa throughout, she also had to make the tough decision to change coaches, ending a fruitful collaboration.

Paula Badosa Made Changes Off the Court as Well

Splitting with Pol Toledo marked another key incident in 2026 for Paula Badosa. Making her Top-10 comeback, winning a title in Washington in 2024, making a quarterfinal run at the US Open that same year, and reaching the Australian Open semifinal in 2025, Toledo was right by Badosa’s side, guiding her to the top of the sport.

However, diminishing results forced Badosa’s hand to bring in someone new, and the Spaniard ended her collaboration with Toledo in October. While the Spaniard has made no new hires, she will have to get someone soon or make the brave decision to go at it in 2027 without a designated head coach.

Whoever it might be, one of Badosa’s key aims would be to achieve better results at the bigger events, such as the Grand Slams and WTA 1000 tournaments. Given that her Instagram post ended with the caption of “The Comeback always starts in the dark”, fans can expect a motivated Badosa at the beginning of the new season.