The Australian Open presented a rollercoaster adventure for fans and showcased an unpredicted contestant race to the finals. A top story among those players came from Paula Badosa, who dropped just a set en route to the semifinals. Though she fell short of her maiden Slam quest, her supportive boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas hardly sidelined support for her at Melbourne Park. Seeing as his campaign went up in flames, Tsitsipas highlighted taking positive pointers from the Spaniard’s impressive comeback.

Merely a year after sustaining a career-threatening stress fracture in her back and contemplating retirement scare, Badosa finessed the tour with a charged form in Melbourne. She reached the last four Down Under but, unfortunately, couldn’t move past runner-up and ‘best friend’ Aryna Sabalenka‘s challenge. Despite the heartbreaking exit, the Spaniard proved exactly why she deserves a seat alongside the top talents of the WTA. And, her lover Tsitsipas agrees.

During a conversation with the ATP Tour ahead of his Rotterdam outing, Tsitsipas expressed taking motivation and a flair to improve from the Spaniard. “Her success gives me a lot of motivation. It was really impressive and deserved. With her run I thought, ‘If she can do it, why can’t I?’ That’s how I look at it. I learned a lot from this process of how to get to a Grand Slam semi-final. I felt privileged that I could give her some small advice to help her en route to the semi-finals.”

“She gave me the freedom to give some feedback and tips. Through my advice to her, I also learned things about myself in terms of tennis, and how I see the court and how I approach my own game. It pushes me on,” he added. For the uninitiated, the couple began dating in June 2023 and since then, have regularly aided each other’s support. The duo also went on to capture a mixed doubles win as part of the Mixed Madness exhibition event at the US Open last year. They pocketed a calm $250,000 prize with that finish.

Tsitsipas, on the other hand, hasn’t enjoyed a similar luck on the ATP. Following his split from father Apostoles as a coach amid the controversial and complex family drama, the ‘Greek God’ has failed to register noteworthy results. However, that didn’t stop him from guiding his partner Badosa at the Australian Open.

Stefanos Tsitsipas gives insight into crucial conversations with his girlfriend Paula Badosa at AO

Speaking to the ATP Tour in the same interview, Greek superstar Stefanos Tsitsipas narrated the conversations he had with his girlfriend Paula Badosa during her Happy Slam campaign. Highlighting the importance of mutual understanding and respect, the former World No. 3 said: “We had serious conversations during her run. I was being strict with her as I didn’t want to be too soft. Because in this sort of circumstance, she’s learned to play her way.”

“But what I’m trying to help her do is get her out of her comfort zone and make her more dangerous on the court. It was inspiring to me to see her execute because it teaches me how to do things when I am in that position. I feel she has a lot of respect for what I have to say. I’m really happy I have a relationship like this where I can exchange ideas and operate on a different scale than I usually operate at,” he added.

Before crashing out in the opening round of the ‘Happy Slam’, Tsitsipas stunned fans after blasting at his team mid-match during his contest against American Alex Michelsen. Meanwhile, Badosa had to overcome adversities of her own after getting caught in a racism row following her China Open exit. The Spaniard faced acute backlash from fans after seemingly mimicking Chinese people by placing a chock stips on the corner of her eyes.

Though she immediately apologised to the community, reports suggested Badosa withdrew from the Wuhan Open amid the racism row. With those concerns now in the rearview mirror, Badosa will focus on her upcoming tour-level adventures while her boyfriend commences his run at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam.