Badosa Shares Emotional Post After Miami Open Loss

Paula Badosa, the 28-year-old Spanish tennis player and former world No. 2, shared an emotional message on Instagram after her second-round defeat at the Miami Open, revealing her struggles with fear and doubt as she falls outside the WTA top 100 for the first time since early last year.

Badosa lost 6-2, 6-1 to American teenager Iva Jovic in the WTA 1000 event on Saturday, a result that will drop her ranking to No. 113 when the updated list is released Monday. She entered the tournament ranked No. 100 and advanced past her first opponent before the straight-sets exit, which cost her points from reaching the fourth round the previous year. The match highlighted her ongoing physical challenges, including a bandaged left thigh that has added to her injury woes.

In her post, translated from Spanish, Badosa opened up about her mental state. "Fear, that damn fear. It's so awful. Sometimes I feel like I can't control the voices inside me," she wrote. "The emotions are overwhelming, and I feel like I'm drowning. Doubts take hold, and I feel lost in a sea of emotions. There are days when I feel strong enough, and others when the mountain seems too high... and I wonder if I'll be able to...