© Al Bello / Staff Getty Images Sport
Friendship beyond any rivalry, or beyond any pain and drama: the rain tried to stop them, but Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa managed to play the 2nd round of the Miami Open. A match with a thousand stories, with infinite facets.
Sabalenka comes from a dramatic moment, following the death of her former boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov, which occurred due to an alleged suicide.
The Belarusian tennis player still chose to take to the court in Florida, but without holding interviews or participating in press conferences.
Fate wanted to pit her best friend, Paula Badosa, against her, as if to say: “If you really want to play, you will have someone on the other side of the net who knows you, understands you and admires you.”
Aryna Sabalenka & Paula Badosa share a nice exchange at the net ❤
BFF goals. pic.twitter.com/Mmrs0c53iB
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 22, 2024
Sabalenka swept away all emotions for the match, focusing only on tennis and beating Badosa in straight sets 6-4 6-3. However, the touching final embrace showed all the friendship and tenderness.
Paula Badosa: “Aryna Sabalenka is a very strong woman”
At the press conference, Badosa talked about the state of mind of her friend and rival, underlining how Sabalenka is a very strong woman.
“Aryna is a very, very strong woman, with a strong personality. You can see it on the pitch. Especially I know her off the pitch. She doesn’t surprise me at all.
I knew she would play very well or as usual. I told her I wished her the best. Let’s see if she can go very deep in this tournament,” she told.
A reporter in the media room asked Badosa how difficult it was for both players to keep their emotions under control during the match.
“Honestly, we’re both pretty strong mentally. We’re strong women. She proved it. I proved it. We knew how to separate in those two hours, an hour and a half of the match. She played really well. I played really well for where I’m from. I think you were pretty decent. This all comes from the fact that we know we’ve been through a lot in our lives, we’re strong women and we know how to separate it in that moment,” Badosa explained.
Paula Badosa says she & Aryna Sabalenka are both strong women who’ve been through a lot in their lives, they know how to separate their emotions from their tennis on the court:
“You said before it was going to be an uncomfortable experience playing that game. How difficult was… pic.twitter.com/6RSCsFcuPm
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 23, 2024
