WATCH: Paula Badosa and Ons Jabeur enjoy fun training session ahead of Stuttgart 2023
It wasn't just all business for Paula Badosa and Ons Jabeur during their joint training session ahead of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. The duo thoroughly enjoyed each other's company and seemed to be having a lot of fun during their practice session.
Jabeur is seeded third at this year's Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, behind world No. 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek and world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka. Meanwhile, Badosa is unseeded and will begin her campaign against seventh seed Daria Kasatkina.
The dynamic duo decided to take to the practice court together ahead of Monday's main-draw start of the tournament.
Jabeur will begin her campaign in the Round of 16 against either Jelena Ostapenko or Emma Raducanu. She could then face sixth seed Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals before facing Swiatek in the semifinals. Meanwhile, if Badosa manages to overcome Kasatkina in the opening round, she will face a qualifier next, before a potential quarterfinal against her very good friend Sabalenka.
Jabeur enters the tournament on the back of winning the Charleston Open, where she beat Kasatkina and Belinda Bencic en route to the title. The Tunisian picked up an injury at the Australian Open that required surgery and directly played Indian Wells thereafter.
Meanwhile, Badosa too last played at the Charleston Open, where she lost to Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals.
Paula Badosa opens up about comparisons with Maria Sharapova
Paula Badosa recently opened up about being compared to Maria Sharapova in her early days as a tennis player and said that such comparisons put her under immense pressure that she did not know how to deal with. Badosa was largely unhappy with the comparisons.
"Getting upset not because they compared me to a legend who played tennis very well and was also very elegant, but it put a pressure on me that I was not used to and that I did not know how to manage," Badosa told Marca.
She stressed the pressure of expectations on her to be a Top-10 player at the age of 18 due to her immense talent.
"Everyone expected me to be top 10 at 18 and I wasn't ready physically, mentally, or tennisally for it," she added.
Badosa, currently ranked No. 31, rose to a career-high No. 2 in the WTA rankings last season. She also won the Indian Wells title in 2021.