Paula Badosa, Stefanos Tsitsipas’ girlfriend, recently opened up about the difficulties she had during a year-long injury layoff.
Former World No. 2 Badosa suffered a knee ailment early in the 2023 season, but she spent nearly the whole second half of that year on the treatment table due to a severe back condition.
The injury—a stress fracture, as the Spaniard disclosed—began at the Italian Open and got worse while the player was facing Marta Kostyuk at Wimbledon. At SW19, Badosa and Tsistsipas were supposed to play in a mixed doubles pairing, but an unfortunate injury derailed those plans.
The 26-year-old WTA star did not make an appearance after her retirement at Wimbledon until late November, when she received a nomination for Spain’s Billie Jean King Cup team. She did not, however, participate in any of the Finals’ games.
Badosa regularly went to matches with her partner, ATP player Tsitsipas, while she was sidelined due tennis injuries. Since then, the Greek has talked candidly about Badosa’s injury struggles on Tennis Channel and praised her fortitude.
“She’s improved significantly. It is clear that I have been there the entire time, witnessing her development and improvement.”
“Paula suffered a severe back injury. People are unaware of the tough circumstances she has experienced. It is almost unbelievable that I experienced an injury that was almost exactly the same as hers. About five months later, mine appeared exactly where hers had.”
Similar circumstances faced Tsitsipas at the 2023 ATP Finals, when he was forced to withdraw from the competition due to a back issue. The three-time Monte Carlo champion gave an explanation of his reaction to Badosa’s suffering.
She did indeed have it far worse off than I did. And having to deal with these challenges and witnessing her immense suffering made me suffer even more, as I found myself in a similar circumstance many months later.”
Since then, the pair has recovered from their physical condition and is hoping for a successful clay-court season. At the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Badosa began the clay-court portion of the season, while Tsitsipas recently claimed his first title of 2024 in Monte Carlo.
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