Paula Padusa and why she chose Spain over the United States: “I thought about it, but …”

Paula Badusa I got off to a good start with the new version of Indian wells. The Spanish tennis player wants to continue her rise in 2022, which is set to be a key year in her career. at Masters 1000 From CaliforniaHe added his first victory over the Czech Republic Teresa Martinkova.

With a score of 6-2 7-6, Paula Padusa qualified for the first round at Indian Wells. The championship is always special to her, even though it represents her Spain inside United State where was he born. He did it on the other side of the country, in Manhattanin heart New York.

So he could have decided to play under the US flag, but he chose Spain. First for his family and also because it was in our country where he started taking his first steps in the world of tennis. The athlete spoke about her choice after her victory over Martincova.

“I thought about it (representing the United States) when I was very young. But I started playing tennis in Spain and my whole family is from Spain. I was born in the United States and lived here, and I really have a part of my heart here,” Paula Padusa confirmed at a press conference.

The tennis player did not hide that the idea of ​​playing for the United States in the arena Women’s Tennis Association. However, being away from her family for so long made the balance end in favor of Spain: “I thought about it, but I had to live in the United States and I was very far from my family.”

2022, a key year

A few weeks ago, the Spaniard made it clear that her goal was to stay at the top of the league WTA ranking. This was how far he came after 2021 to sort of a turning point in his career: “The turning point in my career was last year, I think I changed a lot. Before I was mentally weak, I got frustrated easily and sometimes I didn’t fight like I should. I changed a lot.”

“At the beginning of the year, I decided I wanted to be very strong from that point of view,” said Paula Padusa. “It has made me so much better because when you are mentally stronger, you are also stronger physically and your tennis gets better.” He wants to dominate Indian Wells and into the tennis world.

Rafael Nadal

as talked about Rafael Nadal: “Well, it’s amazing how much better last year has been. He greatly raised his level, his ranking. Yes, it is a great story. She plays very well. He started the season with a win in Sydney, if I’m not mistaken. I know the last few weeks haven’t been perfect, but he managed to win here a few months ago.”

“When she plays well, she is a player who can fight for every championship. She has amazing kicks. She hits the ball really hard. She can compete well and win against anyone. Probably, she can accomplish a lot in this sport if she is able to.” Stay healthy and stay with focus and mind in the right position. I think he has the power to do everything,” the male tennis player with the most titles in the world confirmed. Big bangs in his record.

[Más información – Paula Badosa, en su mejor momento: los retos para un año clave en su carrera]

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