Coco Gauff issues loving response to Paula Badosa's message despite Australian Open heartbreak

Coco Gauff's Australian Open 2025 campaign came to an end on Tuesday as she lost to Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals. The American wished her opponent luck for the remainder of the tournament.

Badosa used the court to her advantage and found the lines at crucial points as she put up an impressive show to stun third-seeded and title favorite Gauff 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the year's first Major. This was her first win against a top-10 player at a Grand Slam and in the process, the 27-year-old Spaniard earned a ticket to her career's first-ever Grand Slam semifinal.

Badosa, the WTA's Comeback Player of The Year in 2024, will next face top seed Aryna Sabalenka or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the last-four stage. Soon after her win, she shared a heartfelt message for Gauff in the caption of a picture of them hugging on Instagram:

"It's always a pleasure to share the court with you. I really admire you and you are a true champion. For many more battles @cocogauff"

Coco Gauff took to Instagram to pen a sweet response to Paula Badosa's message, sharing the post on her story:

"Thank you ['heart' emoji] you're a great competitor and even better person, good luck the rest of the way"

Snapshot of Coco Gauff's Instagram story. Source: Instagram @cocogauff

Badosa's win over Gauff also drew a celebration from her younger sister Jana, who she had previously referred to as the "most important person" in her life.

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An incredible comeback journey for Paula Badosa

Paula Badosa was emotional in her post-match press conference as she looked back at how far she had come. The Spaniard has been battling with a crippling back issue, which she has finally managed to fight past.

"A year ago, I was here with my back [injury] that I didn't know if I had to retire from this sport, and now I'm here, playing the best in the world. I won today, I'm in the semifinals, and I never would think that a year later, I would be here."

Badosa has endured a tough couple of years as she suffered a stress fracture in her back, which forced her to miss three of the four Majors in 2023. In the one Major she played, she retired from her second-round match at Wimbledon.

Paula Badosa celebrates beating Coco Gauff at the 2025 Australian Open. Source: Getty

Another injury in 2024 saw Badosa slip out of WTA's top 100 as she continued to look for answers. However, she made a surging comeback in the second half of 2024 as she won the Washington Open, reached the US Open quarterfinals, and eventually worked her way back into the top-15 rankings.

Paula Badosa finished the year ranked No. 12 and is now in the semifinal of a Grand Slam for the first time.