© Getty Images Sport – Matthew Stockman
Paula Badosa says being in a relationship with Stefanos Tsitsipas has been pretty much always having someone to lean on as the Spaniard reveals that the Greek is very affectionate and has been helping her a lot during her challenging period.
Badosa and Tsitsipas, who were first spotted together during last year’s French Open and made their relationship official in early June, have been together for nearly a year now and they often travel together to tournaments whenever they can. Last week, the two arrived together in Indian Wells and they teamed up for the mixed doubles at the Eisenhower Cup – a Tie-Break Tens exhibition.
When Badosa and Tsitsipas started talking last May, the 26-year-old Spaniard sustained a spinal stress fracture. Since then, Badosa has had a very difficult and frustrating time as her back is still causing her issues despite her basically sitting the entire second half of 2023 to try to resolve her back issue.
After a deep Eisenhower Cup run – in which Badosa and Tsitsipas made the final before losing to Emma Navarro and Ben Shelton – the Spanish former world No. 2 was forced to withdraw at the last moment from Indian Wells.
While Badosa was left devastated, she stayed in Indian Wells to follow Tsitsipas’ run but also to get some support from her boyfriend after the latest setback.
“For me, it’s amazing, having him here today with me, supporting me and spending time with him,” Badosa said on Tennis Channel’s Inside-In podcast.
“But, it’s not only that. Since we started our relationship, all the support I get from him and also having somebody that does the same thing as me, I think he empathizes with everything.
“We met in a moment, that for me, was really tough because of the injury. But, he has always been there for me and as I always say, maybe it sounds cliche, but he inspires me also.”
Tsitsipas: I’m trying to find the right words to say to Badosa
After 2023 Rome, Badosa only appeared at Wimbledon in the remainder of the 2023 season – there she retired injured. While the former world No. 2 was able to return to action in Australia and play there without any issues, sadly it didn’t take long before she started experiencing pain and discomfort again.
In the last month and a half, Badosa retired injured in Hua-Hin and Dubai before also being forced to skip the ongoing WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells.
While Tsitsipas enjoys being in a relationship with Badosa and has referred to her as his “soul mate” numerous times, he admits his girlfriend’s injuries haven’t been easy on the couple. For now, the 25-year-old Greek is just doing his best to be a supportive boyfriend and try to help his girlfriend to finally find the right solution and make the back injury a thing of the past.
“It does create a difficult time for not just Paula but me, as well, having to be there and keep pushing her to kind of get well and jump back on the court,” Tsitsipas said.
“She’s kind of been in and out. The most frustrating part about all of this is that she did play a few matches, and then she didn’t feel that well again, so it has been a tricky time for both of us.
“On my end, it’s more, like, I’m trying to find the right words and the right things to say. Obviously when it does start in the beginning, you have a lot of faith in it and you’re, like, Okay, you just need to stay committed in the process of healing and getting better. But after a while, there aren’t many things you can say, because you are confused yourself with what’s happening with the body.
“I’m just there as much as I can to keep making her feel good that at least we are together and we’re trying to find solution together.
“However, I do feel like time will show, and soon I’m pretty sure she will be fully healed and be ready to go full again.”
For Badosa, being forced to pull out of Indian Wells was crushing for a couple of reasons. First, it wasn’t easy to accept that she was again missing time over an injury. The second reason, Indian Wells is very special for Badosa, who won her biggest title in Indian Wells three years ago and she referred to the tournament as her “favorite” in her announcement from a couple of days ago.
Now, the hope remains that Badosa’s condition will improve in the next couple of days and that the Spaniard will be able to compete again at a WTA 1000 tournament in Miami, which kicks off on March 19th.
