"A difficult decision" - Stefanos Tsitsipas rules out pairing up with girlfriend Paula Badosa in mixed doubles at Australian Open 2024

Stefanos Tsitsipas recently ruled out pairing up with his girlfriend Paula Badosa to compete in the mixed-doubles draw at the 2024 Australian Open.

Tsitsipas and Badosa are yet to play together on tour in the mixed doubles circuit. The pair were scheduled to make their debut at the Wimbledon Championships in July 2023 but this did not pan out as the Spaniard withdrew from the tournament because of an injury.

Tsitsipas recently chatted with The Guardian and reflected on his relationship with Badosa. He talked about their on-court chemistry while recalling their World Tennis League campaign in December 2023.

“I truly believe she [Badosa] is the right person at my side and vice versa for her. We laugh a lot and got to the finals of a mixed doubles event in Abu Dhabi last month. She has the same seriousness as me on court,” he said.

The Greek further denied the possibility of vying for a mixed-doubles title beside Paula Badosa at the Australian Open scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 14.

“It’s a difficult decision because I really want to play with her. But my main priority is singles and it’s important to economize my energy during these hopefully deep runs. I am already committed to playing doubles with my brother [Petros]. So three events would be too demanding,” Tsitsipas said.

In the 2023 edition, Stefanos Tsitsipas made it as far as the final in Melbourne. However, he failed to outperform Novak Djokovic in the summit clash and went down 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-7(5) after a valiant effort.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas: "The goal was never to finish the year at No. 6"

Stefanos Tsitsipas

During his interview with The Guardian, Stefanos Tsitsipas weighed in on hitting a trough during the latter half of the 2023 season partly due to the shoulder injury.

“It wasn’t the best period of my life and it did bring me down a lot. I made a strong start, getting to the final in Australia, and I was feeling great. Then the injury to my shoulder occurred out of nowhere and my confidence dropped," the 25-year-old said.

Tsitsipas finished the 2022 season ranked fourth in the ATP rankings but went down two spots in 12 months. He continued:

"I was not out there winning matches as much as before. There were a few gaps during the year. Of course the goal was never to finish the year at No 6. I won’t settle for this as there’re much bigger things for me than that.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas is currently ranked seventh in the world.