Stefanos Tsitsipas must scramble for a new partner at the Eisenhower Cup, a Tie Break Tens event in Indian Wells, after Paula Badosa, his girlfriend and world No. 10, withdrew due to injury. The Spaniard, sidelined from the playful exhibition, retired mid-match at her last event in Merida and is now racing to heal for the WTA 1000 at Indian Wells.
The Eisenhower Cup, a Tuesday night spectacle, features eight mixed-doubles pairs battling in first-to-10-point tiebreaks. Tsitsipas and Badosa, who teamed up last year, were set to return, but her last-minute exit—confirmed by organizers—leaves the ATP No. 9 partnerless, with a replacement still TBD.
Badosa’s withdrawal follows her quarter-final exit in Merida’s WTA 500 three days ago. Leading Daria Saville 6-1, 3-4, she summoned the trainer for a back tweak, played on, but quit after dropping the next game. The 27-year-old has battled a nagging back injury since a 2023 stress fracture ended her season. She returned in 2024, slumped out of the top 100, and faced a grim prognosis—cortisone shots as her pain-free lifeline.
Yet, Badosa rallied late last year, clinching the Washington Open and shining at the US Open and WTA 1000s. Wary of risking her back, she’s still in the Indian Wells singles draw as the 11th seed, bypassing the first round to face Kamilla Rakhimova or Caroline Dolehide.
Tsitsipas, meanwhile, hunts for a new teammate. The couple weren’t the only star duo slated for the Cup: Katie Boulter and fiancé Alex de Minaur, plus defending champs Ben Shelton and Emma Navarro, join the fray. Other pairs include Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, Madison Keys and Tommy Paul, Maria Sakkari and Casper Ruud, Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz, and Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti.
