"We both suffer a lot" - Paula Badosa reveals struggles of watching boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas play ahead of US Open mixed doubles campaign
Paula Badosa recently opened up about the challenges of supporting her boyfriend, Stefanos Tsitsipas, during his matches. She explained that as players, they're accustomed to being on the court and having a direct impact on the outcome. However, as spectators, they have limited influence.
During a recent press conference at the 2024 US Open, Badosa was asked about the challenges of watching Tsitsipas play. She admitted that both she and Tsitsipas "suffer a lot" when they support each other, as they are emotional and love each other a lot.
"I think we both suffer a lot. We're very emotional, and as we say, we love each other so much, and we want the best for us," Badosa said.
"Of course, we suffer; there are some moments I cannot even watch. It's tough to follow it because, also, we're used to being on the court, so we control a little bit of the situation, but from the outside, we can't do anything. So now I understand, also, the coaches, how much they suffer outside," she added.
The 26-year-old's comments come ahead of her and Tsitsipas's long-awaited mixed doubles debut at the US Open. The couple, fondly known as "Tsitsidosa," had previously planned to compete together at Wimbledon last year and the French Open this year, but unfortunately, they withdrew from both tournaments.
At the Flushing Meadows this year, the pair won a mixed doubles exhibition event against teams comprising Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz and Amanda Anisimova, and Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton. Later, they officially confirmed their entry in the mixed doubles event at the US Open.
Badosa and Tsitsipas are scheduled to face the Mexican pair of Giuliana Olmos and Santiago González on Friday, August 30. However, their singles campaigns have taken different turns.
Paula Badosa advances to US Open 2024 4R; Stefanos Tsitsipas faces 1R upset
Stefanos Tsitsipas' 2024 US Open singles campaign lasted just one match as he faced a shock upset against Thanasi Kokkinakis. The Aussie won a well-contested first set, and the Greek made a strong comeback to win the second, but Kokkinakis managed to maintain his composure to close out the first-round match 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Meanwhile, Paula Badosa is enjoying her most successful US Open campaign. She defeated Viktorija Golubic in the first round 6-0, 6-3 before ousting Taylor Townsend 6-3, 7-5 in the second round
In the third round, on Friday, August 30, the 29th seed was up against Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Despite losing the first set, Badosa fought back to force a decider. The deciding set went to a tiebreak, which was a closely contested battle. Ultimately, Badosa prevailed with a score of 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(8). In the fourth round, Badosa will face the winner of the match between 20th seed Victoria Azarenka and Wang Yafan.