“Had a Different Mindset” – Paula Badosa Reveals the Unique Trait That Made Maria Sharapova Her Idol

Russian star, Maria Sharapova had one of the most unique rises in her tennis career. Early on in her career, she left her native country and moved to the United States along with her father to pursue her tennis dream. After years of hard work, the move eventually bore fruit as she became one of the top players on the WTA circuit. Subsequently, she also went on to win five Grand Slam titles. Owing to her success and how she overcame all odds to emerge stronger, Sharapova won over many fans. One among them was Paula Badosa.

Interestingly, Badosa is often compared to Sharapova due to similarities in their playing style. However, the Spanish tennis star grew up watching Sharapova play and made a big revelation recently about the Russian star. During the Tennis Insider Club podcast, the Spaniard opened up about why she idolized Sharapova.

Badosa revealed, “Yes, she was when I grew up and as I said, it’s not all the game that she was playing, it was what she was going like above tennis. She had a different mindset of being an athlete but more than that. So that’s something that I really liked about her and was very inspiring.”

Interestingly, it isn’t just the professional life where Badosa has been compared with Sharapova. Even on the personal front, fans drew similarities between the two after Badosa split with her boyfriend, Stefanos Tsitsipas briefly. Fans resembled their break up with that of Maria Sharapova and Grigor Dimitrov a few years back.

Nonetheless, Badosa has also revealed the dark side of living under Sharapova’s shadow. The Spanish tennis star also suffered from mental health challenges when things didn’t go her way.

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Paula Badosa makes an emotional revelation on comparisons to Maria Sharapova

Over the years, Badosa has battled many injuries and had massive peaks and troughs in her career. Moreover, she even suffered from depression when things didn’t go her way as she succumbed to the expectations of the fans. Nonetheless, it all started after fans began comparing her to Sharapova during the early parts of her career.

Talking about the downside of it, Badosa revealed, “I went through depression and I had mental health problems. Because I was 18, I was a very good junior, but then the step of going to the pro was not easy. You start losing, and people expect you to be the next Sharapova. They wondered why I wasn’t in the Top 10 yet, but I wasn’t even in the Top 100 at that moment. The expectations were super high, but my level and mental capacity weren’t ready for that.”

However, Badosa has come back stronger than ever as shown during her Australian Open run, and hopes to put on a good show this year. Can Badosa win a Grand Slam title this season? Let us know your views in the comments below.