Stefanos Tsitsipas probably had visions of a birthday bash on the court—a big win, maybe a celebratory cake shaped like a tennis racket, and all the glory that comes with it. Instead, he got a different party favor: an early exit from the Canadian Open, courtesy of Kei Nishikori. Not exactly the birthday present he had in mind! But leave it to Stefanos to take it in stride. Even in his birthday captions, one can sense the humor and determination bubbling underneath. He’s not just blowing out candles; he’s gearing up to blow away the competition at the Cincinnati Masters.

In a video shared by the official account of Cincinnati Open, Tsitsipas can be seen celebrating his birthday with his mom, Julia, and girlfriend Paula Badosa. As he blew the candles off, he received a warm hug from two of his most important people. But what followed was a series of humor and unexpectedness. 

Commenting on the post, the “Greek God” wrote, “Nothing like spending your birthday in Tsitsi-nnati 🎉,” highlighting his next hardcourt campaign. The Greek player will be facing Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany in the first round. The determination to ace in the tournament can be seen even in his captions. But this has not just amused the tennis enthusiasts but has also left Badosa in splits. 

Responding to Tsitsipas’ bizarre wordplay, the Spaniard wrote, “No way😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I can’t.” The couple, who have been dating each other since 2023, had often shared such adorable moments on and off the court. Earlier, the WTA star wished her beau adorably, as she shared heartwarming messages on his birthday. She shared several stories on her Instagram which caught the attention of the ‘Tsitsidosa’ fans worldwide.

The first two are from tennis, maybe practicing together while having fun. The third and the last one seem to be from a vacation, where they are seen washing away all the stress with smiles. The Spaniard, captioned the story, “Happy bday to my best friend…te quiero 💚.” The couple has often expressed their love for each other and shared that they had each other’s back.

Some of the most adorable moments that fans witnessed were during their reunion. While Tsitsidosa split up in May, they reunited in less than a month, which surprised many in the tennis community. What followed was a series of adorable remarks from the Greek player about her Spanish counterpart. Speaking to the journalist Vicky Georgatou, Tsitispas said, “After two, three weeks I realized that she is a person who has supported me a lot and when she tried to talk to me about a meeting I felt how intense the love we have for each other is.” Tsitsipas shared that his bond with the 26-year-old was special and different from all his past relationships and Badosa has also reciprocated similar gestures.

Badosa has Tsitsipas’ back amidst the Greek star’s family feud

Tsitsipas is possibly witnessing a roller coaster of events amidst his birthday celebrations. Soon after his defeat at the Canadian Open, the star player made some harsh decisions, the effects of which were felt by his father, who also happens to be his coach. 

Soon after the match, the star player fired his coach and expressed his dissatisfaction over their partnership. “For me an ATP Master 1000 match is an important match. I need and I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback as a player. My father hasn’t been very smart or very good at handling those situations, it’s not the first time he has done that. I’m really disappointed at him,” he remarked during a press conference post his loss. But amidst the family drama, Badosa is all support for the Greek star.

In the wishes she shared for her boyfriend, what caught the attention of the fans and the tennis community was the background music. The song she used to convey her message loud and clear to the world and her “best friend” was Harry Styles’ Matilda’s chorus. It goes by, “You can let it go, you can throw a party full of everyone you know, and not invite your family…” and is an undeniable attempt to showcase her love and support through every ebb and flow of life.

As the season progresses, it would be interesting to see how accurately can Tsitsipas use his support system and lady luck to achieve big, especially at the US Open.