Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas were once considered the IT couple of tennis. Now, they’re trauma-bonded exes who have their fans worried.
After her win over Coco Gauff at the Berlin Open on Wednesday, Badosa went off on her “tox ex-boyfriend,” going as far as to urge the media to vilify Tsitsipas. The former World No. 2 — currently ranked No. 140 in the world after an injury-riddled 2025 — admitted that her “personal” issues affected her performances off the court.
“I’ve been through a lot of breakups in my life, I accept them and I know things are the way they are. But when there are toxic things around, it makes everything much harder than a normal breakup,” she said, via Alexandre Xavier of Flashscore.
“You can have a great relationship with an ex because they’re normal people and it’s a normal relationship,” she continued, suggesting Tsitsipas had been difficult in the post-breakup process. “But when it’s not like that… I don’t need to explain any further.
You can see every day that the other person makes everything harder.”
Badosa on Tsitsipas: ‘He Deserves It’
After missing the second half of 2025 with injuries, Badosa struggled to regain her form at the start of the new calendar year, suffering early exits at Melbourne, Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami, before sustaining another injury before a WTA 1000 event in Madrid in April. At that point, she admittedly came close to quitting tennis.
“After Madrid I had to stop, mentally it was too much for me,” she said, adding that her professional woes were amplifying her personal issues.
“I couldn’t find a way to see a light (at the end of the tunnel), but I’ve been doing everything I can. A year ago, I was in the top 10, and seeing where I am now isn’t easy. That’s the professional side. On the personal side, the process hasn’t been easy either, trying to clear a lot of things from my life.”
With her 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, win over Gauff, Badosa now has a chance to compete for a title for the first time in over a year. She feels her life is getting back to normal.
“Finally, it’s been a few months since I’ve been in a good environment, but getting past the toxic things around me wasn’t easy.
“But it’s something you have to go through as a woman, and I’m feeling strong again,” she added, again referencing her breakup with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“Now I want to see tomorrow’s headlines: ‘Paula attacks Tsitsipas.’”
“Well, he deserves it!” she concluded.
Fans React to Paula Badosa’s Outburst
Some fans on social media were worried that Badosa used the media to “attack” her ex.
“Dragging the media into your personal dispute seems pretty toxic itself,” a fan wrote on Reddit. “She said she’s had a lot of break-ups, but bears zero responsibility for those relationship failures?”
“she needs to be careful here that she doesn’t end up in a lawsuit. do you need to air your dirty linen in public Paula. Hell hath no fury.. etc,” wrote another fan.
“If Badosa actually said that, she proves that she is the toxic one,” wrote X account Tennis News. “Jealous that Stefanos Tsitsipas has moved on with his beautiful college educated & decent girlfriend Kristen Thoms since the 2025 US Open, while Paula is stuck in her miserable existence. Stef has not said a single word about her.”
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