Stefanos Tsitsipas‘ walkover at the second group stage match against Holger Rune on Tuesday at the ATP Finals has recently been a hot topic on the internet. The 25-year-old Greek was initially criticized for withdrawing suddenly from the season-ending tournament. Fans lashed at him, saying he should’ve withdrawn before his match against Holger Rune. On Wednesday, Tsitsipas was seen celebrating his girlfriend Paula Badosa’s birthday, and guess what? Fans jumped into the scene yet again.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have been battling injuries throughout the season. Both were once in the Top 3 among the men’s and women’s divisions in singles. Now, they are struggling to make a comeback. Fans have taken this as a tool to spit venom on the high-profile power couples in tennis.
Fans lash out at Stefanos Tsitsipas after seeing his impeccable off-the-court commitments
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Paula Badosa received tons of love and support from her fans, friends, and family members on her birthday. But the most special wish came from her Greek boyfriend, Stefanos Tsitsipas. He shared an Instagram story where he was seen sending love to his ‘Spanish Warrior’ dressed in red with a racket. Later, the birthday girl also posted a picture on Instagram where the couple was seen kissing each other in front of a tennis-themed cake. Miniature Tsitsipas and Badosa were featured on the cake. Seeing the couple share their beautiful moments, fans didn’t wait too long to remind Tsitsipas of his woes in Turin.
One of the fans accused him of deliberately starting the match against Rune just to make some profits before retiring from it.
no wonder he played the second match just to retire had to make some profit https://t.co/PppDK0XCv0
— Ajax (@AjaxNoHoes) November 16, 2023
Another fan expressed his opinion on Tsitsipas as he felt the Greek keeps Paula Badosa above Grand Slam wins.
having paula badosa >>> grand slams won https://t.co/ePnvd6YXgi
— dang (@duratdat) November 16, 2023
A fan hilariously trolled him, calling him “Hopeless Romantic.” The fan felt the sudden “injury” was nothing but funny.
Stef😂😂. Hopeless romantic. This explains the sudden "injury" against Rune.
Haha https://t.co/aC6sPZpirL— 🅿️aul (@ThegentlePaul) November 16, 2023
Some of them went a little further and highlighted Badosa’s negative impact on his career. He even called out Italian fans to boo him every single time he plays there.
It all makes sense now 😂🤣. If she's going to help his career…..don't post the picture 24 hours after!!!
I hope 🇮🇹 fans boo him every single time he plays there. https://t.co/rUyQN57Xyc
— 🇷🇸DJOKOVIC & 🇺🇸SANDGREN 🎾FAN 🇨🇴🇨🇦 Daniel (@NovakCanada) November 15, 2023
Adding to the above reactions, a fan even reminded the number 6 of the tough competition ahead of him next year.
dude's way too in love to hold onto his rank 6, next year I believe with the competition coming in from the top 20. (And yet my heart goes out to the effort he put in) https://t.co/86wXK71Rb1
— Morgan Ezbia (@MorganEzbia) November 15, 2023
After saying the ATP Finals are bigger than a Grand Slam and withdrawing out of it is bound to draw controversies. But blaming Paula Badosa for the slump in his career is a question fans must think twice about.
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READ MORE: Nitto ATP Finals: Jannik Sinner vs. Holger Rune Preview, Head-To-Head, and Prediction
Tsitsipas, Badosa, and their journey with injuries
The couple have been dating since the early 2023. They have now become one of the high-profile couples in the racket sport. Tsitsipas has been quite vocal about the positive influence of Badosa in his life. Yet, people accuse the 26-year-old Spaniard of negatively influencing his career.
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Paula Badosa has been nursing an injury, too. It took her out of the rest of the season earlier this year. Now, she came up recently to defend the allegations beside her name on their relationship. She expressed her distress and mentioned how both of them contribute to each other by supporting each other during difficult times of injury setbacks. With both of them being ruled out for the rest of the year, fans will eagerly wait for their return. Can they yet again make a breakthrough to the Top 3?
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