"He's playing a player that's not really good, Novak Djokovic" - Paula Badosa hilariously explains boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas' Citi Open absence
Paula Badosa came up with a hilarious answer when she was asked why her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas is not playing at the ongoing Citi Open in Washington, D.C. The former WTA World No. 2 also went on to poke fun at Novak Djokovic, who Tsitsipas is set to face in the men's singles quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, August 1.
Badosa participated in both women's singles and women's doubles events at the Citi Open. In singles, she has reached the second round after getting the better of 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Her next outing will see her square off against No. 3 seed Liudmila Samsonova on the same day her boyfriend Tsitsipas is slated to take to the Court Phillipe-Chatrier for his Olympics quarterfinal clash against the top-seeded Djokovic.
In doubles, the Spaniard has paired up with close friend Ons Jabeur. The duo won their first-round encounter against the Japanese team of Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya but gave a walkover against No. 3 seeds Ulrikke Eikeri and Ingrid Neel.
On Wednesday, July 31, Badosa interacted with Events DC, the capital's official convention and sports authority. During the interaction, one of the representatives asked Badosa to tell Tsitsipas to play at this year's edition of the ATP and WTA 500 tournament. In her response, the Spaniard said that she had done so, but the Greek opted to play at the Paris Olympics.
"I told him to (play at the Citi Open) but he preferred to go to Olympics," Badosa said.
The former WTA World No. 2 proceeded to state that Tsitsipas' journey so far at the Paris Olympics has been a positive one and that his next opponent Djokovic is "not really good".
"(Tsitsipas is doing) good (at the Olympics). He's playing tomorrow. So the thing is tomorrow he's playing a player that's not really good, Novak," Badosa said.
"It's brutal" - Paula Badosa's 2023 assessment of Novak Djokovic's physical and mental prowess
Badosa revealed in 2023 how highly she regards Djokovic in an interview with El Larguero. The Spaniard hailed the 24-time Major winner for keeping himself in top shape both physically and mentally while acknowledging the "brutal" level of discipline that Djokovic has to commit to to ensure his physical and mental fitness.
"Mentally he is a beast. Competing and being so superior in each competition seems crazy to me. And in tennis he is the most complete. And physically he takes care of himself so much... It's brutal," Badosa said.
The Spaniard is a member of the Djokovic-led Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which the Serb founded in 2019 alongside Canadian Vasek Pospisil to protect players' rights in tennis.