Paula Badosa reveals becoming a mother is one of her biggest life goals and also shares that she and Stefanos Tsitsipas are trying their best to keep “a healthy relationship” by respecting each other as much as they can.
Badosa, who will be turning 27 in November, started her relationship with Tsitsipas in 2023 May – and apart from a very brief split that occurred this past May – they have been looking like a very strong couple so far. While Tsitsipas has already many times declared Badosa his “soulmate,” tennis still remains their No. 1 priority and there haven’t been any indications that an engagement or a wedding could be on the horizon anytime soon.
However, Badosa has always been intrigued by the motherhood aspect and admits that’s something she would like to experience one day. Also, the Spanish tennis star explained that having a sister who is 10 years younger than her has been preparing her for motherhood in some ways because she already has someone to take care of.
“It has always been very important to me and I have had it in mind since I was little. I have always said that I would like to be a mother, obviously I still have a long way to go, but it is something that I feel especially with my sister, who is 11 years older than me and with whom I have always felt a very internalized maternal part. It is something that I want in the future and that will make me very excited when it comes,” Badosa told La Vanguardia.
Badosa: I always felt like my sister’s second mom…
When Badosa became a pro tennis player, her sister Jana was just around five years ago. But despite her tennis responsibilities, Badosa always tried to be there for her younger sister and take care of her.
And after Badosa made it in tennis and achieved some solid success, she used her position to try to support her sister and help her achieve her dreams.
“My younger sister, she’s 15 years old. Her name is Jana. We have a 10-year difference so I always felt that, of course, I’m her older sister but as I say, at the same time, I always felt like I had to like, be her second mom,” Badosa said in one of short films shot for the WTA.
“I protect her so much, especially the role I’m playing right now with her right now, it’s financially, I’m helping her. Her dream was always to come here to the US, to study, to learn English. Her maturity is growing so fast thanks to that. So I’m very proud of her.
Badosa on how she and Tsitsipas balance between pro and private life
Way before Badosa and Tsitsipas started dating, each made it clear many times that their goals were to win a Grand Slam and reach the world No. 1 ranking.
In Badosa’s case, she has been able to go as high as No. 2 in the world but remains with only one Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance. On the other side, Tsitsipas is a two-time Slam finalist but has yet to win a Major while his career-high ranking saw him ranked at No. 3 in the world.
For such a couple, navigating between pro and private life could be tricky but Badosa reveals they have their way of sustaining their love story as healthy.
“Both realities are present: we empathize a lot with each other, but we are also two tremendously competitive people, although in the realm of couples what prevails is a healthy relationship where we have mutual respect and understand each other very well,” Badosa said.
While Badosa and Tsitsipas try to be very respectful to each other, some haven’t been very respectful to them as a couple. Over the last 14 months, there have been several times when either Badosa or Tsitsipas would hear critics blaming their relationship for some of their results.
And least to say, Badosa can’t stand it.
“I could understand this criticism of distraction more if it were with a person from another world, but being two athletes with a very clear objective, what I think is that people don’t even know what they are judging. Personally, what bothers me the most is that people talk about other people’s realities. I can understand criticism of my professional side, of my tennis, of whether I lose or win, but linking that to something personal seems disrespectful to me,” Badosa said.
