NEW YORK – World No. 12 Paula Badosa has pulled out of the US Open, tournament officials announced Friday, marking her second absence from Flushing Meadows in three seasons due to back problems.
The 27-year-old Spaniard, who reached her first Grand Slam semi-final at this year’s Australian Open, has not competed since a first-round loss to Britain’s Katie Boulter at Wimbledon. She had been scheduled to play both women’s singles and mixed doubles with Britain’s Jack Draper.
Badosa, a 2024 US Open quarter-finalist, posted a reflective message on Instagram about her career challenges without explicitly mentioning her withdrawal, writing about being “shaped by the moments that broke me” and seeing mistakes as “some of my greatest teachers.”
The four-time WTA title winner last lifted a trophy in Washington in August 2023. Her withdrawal moves Swiss player Jil Teichmann into the women’s main draw, while France’s Alizé Cornet becomes the first alternate for the Grand Slam, which begins August 24.