Paula Badosa has divulged what her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas said to help inspire her outstanding comeback this year when she was considering retirement.
The Spanish star has enjoyed an impressive resurgence since struggling in the first half of the 2024 season following the stress fracture she suffered in her back last year.
Badosa found form during the grass-court season, reaching the quarter-finals in Bad Homburg and the last 16 at Wimbledon.
The former world No 2 has won 21 of her last 26 matches in a superb streak on hard-courts since the grass-court Grand Slam.
This run started with Badosa winning the WTA 500 event in Washington in August, and she has also reached semi-finals in Cincinnati, Beijing and Ningbo, as well as the US Open quarter-finals.
Having been as low as 140th in the WTA Rankings in May, Badosa is currently ranked 12th in the world after occupying 11th position last week.
Badosa has recalled a conversation she had with Tsitsipas during her period of struggle at the French Open in June.
“I will never forget it,” Badosa told Alex Corretja on Movistar+. “I wasn’t well, I wasn’t where I wanted to be. And I told him: I think I’m going to give up this year because I don’t see myself going back to this.
“And he looked at me with a face like I was crazy and said: ‘but you’re going to be in the top 10 again soon.’ I looked at him and said: ‘this one has gone.’ He loves me a lot (laughs).
“When you have played tennis you perceive these things. He is a person who empathises a lot. He has been there in almost all my bad moments and has been a great support for me.
“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.”
The Spaniard also spoke about how she and Tsitsipas have fun away from the court.
“It’s a mix of everything,” Badosa added. “He also loves photography and I love posing (laughs). He likes to joke around and have fun on social media.
“It’s a very nice relationship. We understand each other well, we’re dedicated to the same thing, we have the same goals.
“We have a very healthy relationship, and it’s not easy because we’re two athletes, you have to be very aware of your own thing, but we’re able to empathize and listen to each other, which isn’t easy when you’re dedicated to an individual sport.”
