"Can you chill?"- Paula Badosa condemns backlash directed at boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas as Greek angrily throws his racket in their US Open match
Paula Badosa seemingly didn’t appreciate the backlash directed at her boyfriend, Stefanos Tsitsipas, over his angry outburst at the 2024 US Open. The Greek tennis player let out his frustrations by throwing his racket to the ground after losing a point during the couple’s mixed doubles match.
Badosa and Tsitsipas made their official mixed doubles debut at the US Open. The tennis power couple, who won the Mixed Madness exhibition event in the lead up to the tournament, faced Mexican duo Giuliana Olmos and Santiago Gonzalez in the opening round on Friday, August 30.
Notably, Paula Badosa took the court with Stefanos Tsitsipas just hours after her thrilling third-round comeback against Elena-Gabriela Ruse (4-6, 6-1, 7-6(8)) in singles. Following her win, the Spaniard said:
"I had a long match now and I was even thinking, for sure Stef is watching and he’s like, 'Oh, now she’s gonna be tired for the mixed doubles,'" Badosa jokingly said during her on-court interview. "He’ll have to do all the work today."
The seasoned Mexican pair, who reached the Wimbledon final earlier this year, proved too hot for the couple, winning the match 7-6 (3), 6-4. What caught the tennis fans’ eye during their loss was Stefanos Tsitsipas’ outburst after hitting a return long during the first-set tiebreak. He threw his racket to the ground in frustration, making Badosa flinch.
While fans slammed the former World No. 3 for his aggressive display, though, Paula Badosa was seemingly unhappy with the scrutiny. In a since-deleted post on X, she called out the haters for judging tennis players’ “every step.” The former World No. 2 opined that such reactions are normal considering the highly competitive environment.
"Of course. We ALL have reactions like that on a court unfortunately. Frustration and stress is very normal in sports. Can you people chill? Are you going to judge every single step? You are very tiring!" she wrote in her since-deleted message.
"When I was playing it just came to my mind" – Paula Badosa discloses her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas' reaction to her thrilling US Open 2024 match
Paula Badosa reached the fourth round of the US Open for the first time following her victory over Elena-Gabriela Ruse. She faces China’s Wang Yafan for a spot in the quarterfinals. It is worth noting that the Spaniard eked out the win after fending off one match point against her.
Speaking about how Stefanos Tsitsipas handled her nail-biting final-set super tiebreak finish, Badosa said:
"He came running to me and he’s like, ‘I almost had a heart attack!’" she said in her post-match press conference.
"And also like when I was playing, I don’t know when it was 6–6, it just came to my mind, like Stef for sure is having a heart attack right now and also my family at home. It sometimes crosses my mind and I’m like, ‘Paula, stay here now because it’s a tough moment,’" Paula Badosa added.
While Badosa is having a successful singles run at the US Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas has crashed out of his draw. The Greek suffered an opening-round loss to Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.