Stefanos Tsitsipas’ slide in results over the last 12 months has been alarming for many of tennis’ leading experts. That was reinforced by the Greek’s first-round loss against Alex Michelsen at the Australian Open 2025. On the other hand, his girlfriend, Paula Badosa, had her own battle of recovering from the terrible back injury she suffered in 2023. If anything has remained constant throughout, that is the support they have shown for each other. As put by Stan Sport analyst Mark Petchey, “It is working there and I think that from both of their points of view, they can kind of lift each other.” Well, Badosa can attest to that.

“He always supports me so much and he’s always there for me. We always talk about how I’m feeling, how is he feeling, we give advice to each other. I think it’s special to have somebody that also has been so good and he is so good on what he does. And you just like (say), ‘Hey, what would you do in this moment? How would you deal with it? So it’s inspiring for me and I think it’s very helpful,” Badosa said of Tsitsipas. Indeed, we get that after seeing Tsitsipas showing up for Badosa even after he was eliminated from the Australian Open. Ask Badosa what specific advice from Tsitsipas has helped her the most and she would tell you:

“He’s won Masters 1000s, he’s been in finals in slams, so my questions (for him) was a little bit like ‘how do you deal with the last rounds of a slam?’ Because for me it’s been a little bit tough to unlock this situation. I haven’t unlocked like he did, finals, and I’ve never been through that. He’s always like giving me how he lived it, how he experienced it, and what he would do in my situation. So that’s an example that we talk about lately” Looks like her boyfriend’s advice is indeed showing its colors.

It’s almost down to the final four at the Australian Open and Badosa is the first one there from the women’s side! The 11th seed took down Coco Gauff in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4. This victory marks Badosa’s first Grand Slam semi-final appearance and makes her only the fourth Spaniard to achieve this feat. After her win, she humorously wrote on the on-court camera, “Third time’s a charm,” reflecting on her previous quarter-final attempts. But where was Tsitsipas?

After the match, the Spaniard celebrated in her locker room with her team, embracing them tightly for their unwavering support throughout her journey. A fan shared a screen capture of this heartwarming moment on X, complete with teary-eyed emojis. However, it quickly became apparent that her boyfriend, Stefanos Tsitsipas, was missing in action. Usually, the first to congratulate her after a match, the Greek player was nowhere to be found. But Badosa made sure that he felt proud of her wherever he was. Look how Badosa held the forte against Gauff.

Badosa came out swinging against the American, targeting her forehand early and earning break points. After a tense battle, she finally broke Gauff’s serve in the 11th game with a stunning cross-court winner. Gauff fought hard but couldn’t keep up with Badosa’s relentless pressure, ultimately losing the first set after a long forehand error. The second set was just as thrilling!

Badosa seized momentum right from the start, breaking Gauff again for a quick 2-0 lead. Although Gauff managed to break back and level things at 2-2, Badosa was determined not to let history repeat itself—she had lost to Gauff twice last year after leading. With nerves steadying, Badosa pulled ahead again and served out the match with two aces. What a way to claim her spot in the semi-finals! Though this time Tsitsipas was not there, as recently as during her fourth match against Olga Danilovic just two days back, fans enjoyed his presence in the stands. He not only showcased his support but the pair also provided some entertaining moments.

Paula Badosa and Tsitsipas unintentionally entertain fans during the Australian Open

On January 17, Paula Badosa battled through a dramatic third-round match at the 2025 Australian Open, defeating Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in challenging windy conditions. Having taken the first set, Badosa found herself down 0-5 in the second, her growing frustration evident in the animated gestures she directed toward her player’s box. This sparked speculation that her frustration was aimed at her boyfriend, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who attempted to calm her down.

It was perceived that Badosa mockingly offered him her racket, as if inviting him to play instead. After her victory, she clarified that was not true, “I was saying that to my coach honestly, but [Stefanos] was very supportive, giving me amazing tips.” Following her win over Kostyuk, Badosa took to Instagram to tease Tsitsipas. She shared a story featuring them holding hands, captioned with a mischievous touch: “Thanks for squeezing my hand @stefanostsitsipas98 🤣🫶🏼.” The entertainment didn’t stop there.

In her fourth-round match against Olga Danilovic on Sunday, Badosa cruised through the first set 6-1. However, the second set proved more challenging, and fans couldn’t help but notice her boyfriend’s visible stress from the coach’s box. He was spotted eating a bag of chips, posted by a fan on X, writing, “Our handsome young hero Stef Tsitsi is stress eating 😍 @AustralianOpen.”

Despite Tsitsipas’ palpable nerves, Badosa kept her cool and ultimately triumphed, securing a spot in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2022. Now headed to her maiden semi-finals on Thursday, Badosa is set to face either 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or her friend and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. Will Stefanos show up to support her through this next round? Share your thoughts in the comments below!