Badosa hits back at 'disrespectful' retirement claim

Former world number two Paula Badosa has responded to claims she is "disrespectful to the game" following her withdrawal from a match in Dubai.

The Spaniard beat Katerina Siniakova 6-3 7-5 at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday before a right thigh issue forced her to retire from the match against Elina Svitolina on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old, who retired from four matches last year, was 4-1 up against Svitolina but lost the first set 6-4 and then, having called for treatment, withdrew.

A social media user accused Badosa of being "disrespectful to the game" as "you cannot retire/withdraw from every tournament".

"You have no idea what it's like to live with a chronic injury and still choose to keep going," wrote Badosa in response., external

"To wake up every day not knowing how your body will respond, searching for solutions, and fighting for something you love and give everything to even when it's so difficult."

Svitolina won again on Wednesday, beating Belinda Bencic 4-6 6-1 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals in Dubai, where she will face Antonia Ruzic.

The Croatian only entered the main draw as a lucky loser but is now into the last eight after Elena Rybakina became the 14th player to withdraw or retire in the event.

The world number three and Ruzic had won one set apiece, with the latter leading 1-0 in the decider, when Rybakina retired because of a gastrointestinal illness.

Third seed Coco Gauff will face unseeded Filipino Alexandra Eala in the last eight after the American came from behind to beat Belgium's Elise Mertens 2-6 7-6 (11-9) 6-3.

Second seed Amanda Anisimova will face fifth seed Mirra Andreeva after both enjoyed straight-set wins, as did fourth seed Jessica Pegula and 12th seed Clara Tauson, who will also meet in the quarter-finals.

World number five Pegula will chair a new council launched by the Women's Tennis Association that will oversee improvements to the women's game, and potential changes to the Tour "can be implemented as soon as the 2027 season".

The Middle East swing has come right after this year's Australian Open, instead of a week later, and American Pegula told The National, external on Monday: "I don't personally know how [the players who withdrew] are feeling physically, mentally, you never really know, but I know that the schedule is very tough.

"I think at some point in the year, if you do have a few good results, I think some weeks, unfortunately, do become a little bit of a sacrifice if you're thinking long term. I can't knock any player that wants to make that decision for themselves.

"I think right now we're living in an age too where the priority is always staying healthy mentally and physically, and you never know where a player is at with that."

Badosa contemplated ending her playing career in 2024 because of a string of injuries, including a chronic back problem.

She was ranked as high as number two in 2022 but, despite working her way back into the top 10 last year, is now 70th.

"Trust me I'm the first one suffering with pain and having endless nightmares to try to find solutions every single day," she added.

"I'll always try one more time. And if there's even a 1% chance to keep going, I'll take it."

Badosa, who reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January 2025, criticised the toxicity of some of social media.

"So for me the only disrespect here is to open social media and read messages like this," she added.

"Then we complain if we see players or people suffering and having mental health issues. But I'm not surprised with the amount of hate and 'experts' we have here."

Badosa's comments follow Destanee Aiava announcing her impending retirement aged 25, saying it had a "racist, misogynistic, homophobic and hostile" culture.

As part of her explanation of her decision, Aiava said she had faced abuse from online trolls - an issue that has affected several players in the game.

British player Katie Boulter shared some of the abuse she had received with BBC Sport last year to help highlight the scale of the problem.

Figures from data science firm Signify, the International Tennis Federation and Women's Tennis Association show that in 2024, about 8,000 abusive, violent or threatening messages were sent publicly to 458 tennis players through their social media accounts, with many stemming from betting.