‘A tricky time for both of us’

Stefanos Tsitsipas has opened up on the support he is giving girlfriend Paula Badosa during a “tricky time” as she looks to return to full health.

Former world No. 2 Badosa missed the second half of the 2023 season with a back issue and has continued to be troubled by injuries this year.

She pulled out of Indian Wells shortly before her first match at the tournament, saying she “tried everything to be able to play” and is having a “very difficult time with my injury”.

“It does create a difficult time for not just Paula but me, as well, having to be there and keep pushing her to kind of get well and jump back on the court,” he said.

“She’s kind of been in and out. The most frustrating part about all of this is that she did play a few matches, and then she didn’t feel that well again, so it has been a tricky time for both of us.

“On my end, I’m trying to find the right words and the right things to say. Obviously when it started in the beginning, you have a lot of faith in it and you’re, like, ‘Okay, you just need to stay committed in the process of healing and getting better.’ But after a while, there aren’t many things you can say, because you are confused yourself with what’s happening with the body.

“I’m just there as much as I can to keep making her feel good that at least we are together and we’re trying to find a solution together.”

Badosa, now ranked at No. 73 in the world, made the third round of the Australian Open in only her second Grand Slam appearance since the start of 2023.

But she then pulled out of matches in Thailand and Dubai due to injury.

After her withdrawal from Indian Wells she wrote on X that “one day I’ll be smiling on a court again”.

Tsitsipas added: “I do feel like time will show, and soon I’m pretty sure she will be fully healed and be ready to go full again.”

Tsitsipas is looking for a deep run at Indian Wells to get back into the top 10 in the rankings.

The former world No. 3 has dropped down to No. 11 after a dip in form over the last 12 months and his lower ranking has seen him land in a tricky part of the Indian Wells draw.

“It’s part of the whole experience being outside of the top 10,” said Tsitsipas about the challenges of his draw.

“We have seen players that were in the top 10 and dropped out a little bit. Some of them much further.

“It can be tricky for those that are high-ranked because some of the players do have that big tennis that they have, of course, once produced which kept them in the top five and they had big results…I’ve had those actually in the past against players that do not deserve to be outside the top 20 or 30 and are way better than that in terms of tennis and experience.

“These can be tricky matches, and I feel like being some sort of contender for that title, let’s say, it does perhaps add a bit more pressure to the other guys, because of course I have proved myself over the last few years that I can be there. It’s just that it hasn’t worked out recently, and I’m not in the best sort of tennis shape that I’ve been in terms of the last months.”

Tsitsipas plays 32nd seed Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round on Tuesday.

The winner could face third seed Jannik Sinner in the quarters.

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