"We have a very beautiful relationship" - Paula Badosa concurs with boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas on playing mixed doubles 'for love' at French Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas is participating in all three events that he is eligible to play at the 2024 French Open. He claimed he was doing so to combine love and tennis, and his girlfriend Paula Badosa agreed to the sentiment.
The Greek defeated Zhang Zhizhen in the third round of the singles event. Following the win, he was asked by the interviewer:
"What's the reason with you playing the whole competition here?"
Tsitsipas responded:
"Well, it's all because of love. Yeah, it is if you think about it... On both sides. It all has to do with love and getting to combine love and tennis is quite exceptional."
French Open's official X account posted the interview and tagged Tsitsipas' girlfriend Badosa. The Spaniard expressed her affection on the post with emojis.
On Saturday, June 1, Badosa was up against Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of the Paris Major. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, the World No. 2 was too good for her as the Belarusian won 7-5, 6-1.
During the press conference after the match, Badosa was asked about her boyfriend's comments. She agreed with him, saying that combining love with tennis is a unique experience.
"I agree with him," Badosa said. "I do it for this reason and because it is something very special and not everyone is lucky enough to be able to share such moments. And we have it."
"We also have a very beautiful relationship and we want, if time permits of course, to share such moments, it's something unique - why not? And after all, we are tennis players, but we are also people with feelings. So I think that's a cool thing," she added.
Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas were together for almost a year before they had amicably ended their relationship earlier in May. However, the pair was spotted together multiple times days after the announcement and finally informed the world that they were back together.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa's mixed doubles campaign opener postponed
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa's mixed doubles French Open campaign was set to begin on Saturday, June 1, against Ena Shibahara and Nathaniel Lammons. However, the match has been postponed to Sunday, June 2, because of the rain.
Similarly, Tsitsipas' men's doubles campaign opener, which he is playing with his brother Petros, was also postponed to June 2. They will be up against John-Patrick Smith and Denys Molchanov.