"Stefanos Tsitsipas empathized so much that he ended up suffering" - Paula Badosa opens up on boyfriend's 'unconditional support' in injury comeback

Paula Badosa recently spoke about her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas being her backbone over the last year. The Spaniard also disclosed the times during her comeback trail when she had to be optimistic, just so that the Greek would feel better.

Badosa suffered a stress fracture in her back in 2023, which forced her to miss three of the four Major tournaments last year. The 26-year-old made plenty of amends this season, winning her fourth career title at Washington and climbing up to No. 11 in the WTA rankings this week.

The former World No. 2 spoke to 'Hola' magazine about a variety of topics, including her relationship with Stefanos Tsitsipas. The couple officially began dating in June 2023, and according to the Spaniard, the Greek offered "unconditional support" to her when she was on the sidelines last year.

"Stefanos was an unconditional support for me in all those months I spent lying on a sofa," Badosa said. "He is a very sensitive person and, sometimes, he empathized so much that he ended up suffering too much."

Badosa also revealed that Tsitsipas was the first person that she called following her triumph at the 2024 Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington — her first title victory in two years.

"There were times when I had to cheer myself up just for him, who was constantly looking for solutions to make me feel better," she added. "That's why when I won the title in Washington, he was the first person I called and mentioned because the truth is that he has been very important in my recovery."

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Paula Badosa: "I am a person who when I hit rock bottom, I get a lot of strength out of it"

Paula Badosa celebrates at US Open 2024

During her interaction with the magazine, Paula Badosa also spoke about her strong mindset. The Spaniard claimed that her personality and a few decisions surrounding her team led to her good results this year.

"I am a person who when I hit rock bottom, and it is not the first time I have done so, I manage to get a lot of strength out of it," Paula Badosa said. "I have always been an independent girl, with a lot of character, with personality and, at that critical moment this year, I decided to make changes in the team that helped me a lot."

Badosa had a decent season in 2024, winning 37 of her 55 matches. Some of the highlights of her season were winning the 500-level title in Washington, reaching the last eight at the US Open, and reaching the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open, the China Open and the Ningbo Open.