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

Aryna Sabalenka recently opened up about her relationship with Paula Badosa, stating the two have a bond that stretches beyond tennis.

Sabalenka and Badosa have faced each other four times on the tour to date, with their head-to-head tied at 2-2. Badosa won the first two meetings at the 2021 Cincinnati Open and the WTA Finals while Sabalenka won their most recent meetings at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in 2022 and 2023.

Despite regularly competing for the same titles on the WTA tour, the two players share a close bond off the court. On her relationship with Badosa, Sabalenka explained that it is not often for a player to find their "soulmate" on the tour when also going toe-to-toe in the sport.

"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," she 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.

---

Paula Badosa sends her love to Aryna Sabalenka following Belarusian's statement

Paula Badosa at the 2023 Madrid Open.

After Aryna Sabalenka spoke glowing of Paula Badosa and their relationship, the Spaniard sent her love to the Belarusian.

Responding to a social media post that shared Sabalenka's quotes, Badosa stated that the World No. 1 was the "best". In reply, Sabalenka also professed her love for her peer.

Earlier this year, Badosa stated that she rooted for Sabalenka during the Australian Open. At the Melbourne Major, the Belarusian went all the way to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title.

Having skipped the season-opening Major due to a thigh injury sustained at the Adelaide International 2, Badosa said that she did not pay attention to any of the matches at the tournament, except Sabalenka's.

"To be honest, [Aryna Sabalenka] was the only player I was following in Australia because I was injured and it was tough for me to see. Right after she won, I text her and I was very happy for her, because I know how much it mean and how much she struggled last year," she said (via tennisworldusa).