Paula Badosa responded to a humorous cartoon depiction of her third-round controversy at the 2025 Australian Open involving her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Spaniard has repeatedly clarified that her frustrations were directed at her coach, not her boyfriend in the crowd.
On Friday, January 17, Badosa overcame Marta Kostyuk to secure her first fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open since 2022. However, the victory was not without challenges. After claiming the first set 6-4, the 27-year-old faced a tough second set, trailing 0-5.
During a tense moment, she was seen gesturing towards the crowd, seemingly frustrated by the wind affecting her game. She even motioned with her racket as if inviting someone from the crowd to play in her place.
The camera then panned to Tsitsipas, who appeared to be calming her down. Fans online speculated that Badosa's anger was directed at her boyfriend, but she later clarified it was aimed at her coach.
Badosa managed to win four games in that set but was forced into a decider by Kostyuk. Eventually, the Spaniard came out on 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
After the match, taking to Instagram, Badosa shared a hilarious animated version of her controversial moment. She captioned it:
"[Laughing emojis] this is getting out of control. SOS. "
Paula Badosa clarifies multiple times that her gestures were not directed at her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas
After the third-round match at the 2025 Australian Open, Paula Badosa was asked during her on-court interview about her gestures towards the crowd.
"I was saying it to my coach… but he [Stefanos Tsitsipas] was very supportive. He was giving me amazing tips, he was supporting me every point. I think he was more nervous than me," she clarified.
Later, Badosa also came across a social media account claiming she was gesturing towards her boyfriend during the match. She clarified in the comment:
"I wasn’t with Stef it was with my coach that was in front of Stef. Let’s not try to create drama. Stef was the best supporter out there."
During her post-match press conference as well, the 27-year-old reiterated that Tsitsipas was supporting her, and her outburst was directed towards her coach.
In the fourth round, Badosa will take on Serbia's Olga Danilovic, who pulled off a shock upset over seventh seed Jessica Pegula 7-6, 6-1. This will be the fourth encounter between the pair with Danilovic holding a 2-1 head-to-head lead.