"Pretty much where we met first time" - Stefanos Tsitsipas reveals Tie Break tens' "sentimental value" for him and Paula Badosa
Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas said that 'Tie Break Tens', has a special place for him as he met his girlfriend Paula Badosa of Spain for the first time at the event.
'Tie Break Tens' is part of the Indian Wells tournament, where mixed doubles matches are played in the tie-break format. The winner is the first player to reach 10 points with a lead margin of two points.
The inaugural 'Tie Break Tens' was held in December 2015. After this, tournaments in Vienna, Madrid, Melbourne, New York, Indian Wells and Dubai now feature matches under this format where the top tennis players compete for the grand prize.
"Tie Break Tens is pretty much where we met first time. So it has you knowa sentimental type of value for us and I hope we cando many more inthe future," Tsitisipas said after a runner-up performance in mixed doubles at the event.
Top ranked men's and women's tennis players paired up for the second consecutive year to compete in the 2024 Eisenhower Cup also known as 'Tie Break Tens' at Indian Wells. Ben Shelton and Emma Navarro won the 2024 edition of 'Tie Break Tens' as they beat the much-loved tennis couple Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Eisenhower Cup has only three matches-quarterfinals, semifinals and finals for competing teams. Badosa/Tsitsipas beat Iga Swiatek/Hubert Hurkackz 10-2 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, the duo won against Zheng Qinwen/Frances Tiafoe with the scoreline reading 10-3.
Tsitsipas praised his girlfriend Badosa for boosting his morale, and expressed happiness of playing with her at tournaments. The duo has been one of the most talked-about tennis couples ever since their romantic relationship became public. The couple has even earned the moniker 'Tsitsidosa' in tennis circles.
"Paula gives me the confidence that I need. Today was a great three matches that we got to play," Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview after the finals. "A bit unfortunate towards the end, I mean they (Shelton-Navarro) were the better team, they play so well together. I’mhappy we gotthe opportunity to play with Paula here."
Stefanos Tsitsipas will face either Lucas Pouille or Daniel Altmaier in the second round in Indian Wells
Stefanos Tsitsipas will play against either Lucas Pouille or Daniel Altmaier in the second round of Indian Wells, an ATP-1000 tournament. He has won seven matches and lost three so far in the 2024 season.
The Greek has been battling a back injury for the past few months. In fact, he was not able to play in the singles match at the United Cup, a global men's and women's tennis team event, due to the back injury.
Tsitsipas' best showing came at the Los Cabos Open where he reached the semifinals, but lost to Casper Ruud of Switzerland. He also reached the quarterfinals of Mexican Open where he lost to Alex de Minaur of Australia in three sets.
The Greek, who was a runner-up at the Australian Open 2023, bowed out in the fourth round this year, losing to American Taylor Fritz in four sets.