Paula Badosa reveals what she told Aryna Sabalenka at the net after Australian Open SF

Paula Badosa faced her good friend Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open semifinals. While the match was quite competitive at the start, by the end of it, Sabalenka was just on fire. She won it comfortably in two sets, 6-4, 6-2, to secure a third consecutive Australian Open final, leaving her good friend rather disappointed.

Badosa managed a smile at the net and a lengthy hug, but cameras captured the Spaniard sitting in the locker room looking quite dejected. It's to be expected because this would have been her first Grand Slam final.

In the press conference after the match, Badosa was asked what she told Sabalenka at the net, and she replied:

"That it was really unfair for me that she played this level today."

It was a pretty relatable comment by Badosa, who went on to explain that Sabalenka played at an amazing level. Sabalenka played considerably better as compared to her quarterfinal against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, where she looked shaky for much of the match.

"I was expecting, of course, a good level, but maybe not that much. But no, she came, like, to say that she played three semifinals before she won a title. She was very proud of my improvement lately, especially with all I've been through. So, yeah, we were just joking around. I'm really happy that, look, if I have to lose against somebody, of course I want to lose against world No. 1 and against Aryna, and I wish her the best."

Paula Badosa has improved tremendously over the past couple of months, which her two most recent Grand Slam runs prove. She nearly made the semifinal at the 2024 US Open and made the 2025 Australian Open semifinals, so perhaps the third time will be her charm.

Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka are best friends

2025 Australian Open - Source: Getty

Away from the competitive matches, the two tennis stars are good friends. In some ways, they're basically best friends on tour, having played doubles together, among other things. They can often be spotted joking around during practice as well, and it's just a great friendship between them.

Sabalenka was pictured consoling Badosa in the locker room after their match and promised to take her shopping, where she would take care of the bill as well.

"No matter what happens on the court, we gonna be friends after our matches. It’s tough to do but we agreed on that. I promise Paula we go shopping and pay for whatever she wants," Sabalenka after beating Badosa.

Time will tell whether Sabalenka buys Paula Badosa a Ferrari or if she wants something less.