"Aryna Sabalenka is my closest friend" - Paula Badosa reflects on relationship with Belarusian after doubles win at WTL

Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka recently teamed up to win their doubles match at the 2023 World Tennis League. After the match, Badosa expressed her admiration and affection for the Belarusian.

The World Tennis League is a mixed-gender team tennis tournament that features some of the sport’s biggest names such as Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Taylor Fritz. The second edition of the event is being held in Abu Dhabi from December 21 to 24, 2023.

Badosa and Sabalenka are part of Team Kites, which is currently leading the standings with 27 points, along with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov.

Badosa and Sabalenka have faced each other four times on the tour, with each player winning twice. Their first encounter was in the 2021 Cincinnati Open second round, where Badosa prevailed in three sets. They met again at the 2021 WTA Finals, where the Spaniard won in straight sets in the first-round robin match.

Sabalenka got her revenge at the 2022 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where she defeated Badosa in the semifinal 7-6(5), 6-4. Their most recent match was at the 2023 Stuttgart Open quarterfinal, where the Belarusian clinched a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win.

Despite their intense rivalry, Badosa and Sabalenka have forged a close friendship off the court. They often spend time together during tournaments and share jokes and compliments on social media.

Their friendship was on full display at the World Tennis League, where they teamed up to beat Mirra Andreeva and Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-3, on Thursday, December 21. After the match, Badosa talked about her friendship with Sabalenka.

"I think doubles is all about connection and with Aryna you can see we have it. And also being by her side I always say I learn a lot from her, she inspires me. And I can get to say she’s my closest friend so it’s very nice to share the court with her," Badosa said in an on-court interview.

Paula Badosa has been sidelined from the WTA tour since this year's Wimbledon Championships due to a back injury. The former World No. 2 has expressed hope of making a comeback at the 2024 Australian Open.

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"It doesn't happen very often that you can find your soulmate on the circuit" - Aryna Sabalenka talks about her friendship with Paula Badosa

Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka at the 2021 WTA Finals

Aryna Sabalenka recently talked about how she and Paula Badosa have a friendship that transcends tennis.

Despite frequently vying for the same titles on the WTA tour, the two players maintain a strong bond off the court. Sabalenka said that discovering a "soulmate" on the tour while simultaneously competing in the sport is very rare.

"It is very difficult. It doesn't happen very often that you can find your soulmate on the circuit because we compete against each other. But we had this deal: on the court we are opponents, we can shout whatever we want, but off the court we are friends again," Aryna Sabalenka said (via puntodebreak).

"We can take a day, depending on who wins, to accept the fact that one of us lost, but then we become friends again. It's hard, and I'm super happy to have her. She is a very nice girl and having her by my side is very important to me," the Belarusian added.

Aryna Sabalenka is currently ranked No. 2, while Paula Badosa is ranked No. 64 in the world.