Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have both had a very tough season for different reasons. The Greek player is now very far from the levels of a few years ago, when he seemed to be able to become one of the heirs of the Big 3.
In the early years of his career, the tennis player from Athens had shown that he had an uncommon talent by defeating Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Almost everyone thought Stefanos would win a Grand Slam title in a matter of years, especially after his triumph at the 2019 ATP Finals at the O2 Arena in London.
As time went on, Tsitsipas began to have more and more ups and downs both technically and mentally. ‘Tsitsi’ has won the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 three times, but lost his certainties after losing the final of the 2021 French Open (in which he was ahead two sets to nil against Nole Djokovic) and the final of the 2023 Australian Open (lost again to Djokovic).
The rise of new young champions such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has further damaged Stefanos, who has struggled a lot to play his best tennis against the two new leaders of the men’s tour. The Greek ace has become a second-tier player, he did not qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals this year and his future is very uncertain.
Tsitsipas and Badosa together
Like her boyfriend Tsitsipas, Badosa also had several problems in 2024. A serious injury put the continuation of her career at risk and forced her to go through a period of huge stress.
The Spaniard and the Greek broke up for a short period of time, before realizing that they were too much in love and got back together. 2025 will be a decisive year for both of their careers, and fans are hopeful that they can return to the highest level.
After going to the ATP Finals in Turin as an alternate, Stefanos has started his off-season and is spending his time with Paula. A few days ago, the two players visited Aston Martin’s headquarters in Gaydon, England, where they had fun and enjoyed the snow.
Tsitsipas and Badosa are very happy together and mutual support will be key to making them play well next season.
2024 was marked by a big change for Stefanos, who decided to end the professional relationship with his father Apostolos. After some disagreements in the summer, the Greek champion realized that it was the right time to change his team.
“My father has probably been the heart of my whole life, not only in tennis, but also in my everyday life” – Tsitsi said in a recent interview.
“He is obviously one of the people largely responsible for my success so far, but I also need to explore my own limits, have my own story and embark on a different journey to continue learning.
It has been very difficult for both of us to have a natural father-son relationship during all these years of tournaments.
This is also one of the main reasons why I decided to part ways with him as a coach. Ultimately, it can also be understood as a way to save our relationship” – he added.
2025 is already decisive
The 2021 French Open finalist must add new solutions to his game to get closer to the current top players, otherwise he risks experiencing a very disappointing second part of his career. Stefanos will have a great chance at the next Australian Open, a tournament in which he has often played his best tennis. The Greek reached the final at Melbourne Park in 2023, defeated Federer in 2019 and has never hidden that he loves those courts.
Despite the bad results achieved in 2024, Stefanos found happiness thanks to Badosa. The Monte Carlo Masters 1000 champion helped her a lot in the worst period of her career.
“When you have played tennis you perceive these things. He is a person who empathizes a lot. He has been there in almost all my bad moments and has been a great support for me” – Badosa revealed in a recent interview with Alex Corretja on Movistar +.
“And we have something that is also very beautiful in a couple, which is to admire the other. We respect and admire each other a lot. Hearing those words from a great athlete like him motivates me. That your partner believes in you also helps” – she added.
Many believe that Tsitsipas has already reached the peak of his career, but the player from Athens will try to prove them wrong next season.
