“If I continue to change surfaces I risk having problems and its not worth it for me,” Paula Badosa explained her reasons for opting out of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Now when the world is busy with the Games, Badosa’s attention is somewhere else—the Citi Open tournament! The Spaniard’s next target is Emma Raducanu, a friend with whom she has a special connection that transcends the cutthroat competition on the court. Sharing a rare glimpse of that, the 26-year-old player spilled the beans on the intimate details of their locker room chats!

If not anything else, we can all vouch for Badosa’s fun-loving and supportive demeanor off-court. Her friendship with other WTA players, mainly Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur, whom she considers her best friends on Tour, highlights it even more. Does the comparatively younger generation player, Raducanu, fall into the same category too?

When she was quizzed about her current dynamic with her quarterfinalist opponent, she reserved special praise for the 21-year-old player. Upon being asked the following, “You’re kind of an ambassador in the locker room in a lot of ways. For her to win a Grand Slam, then splash onto the scene, it can be a little bit tricky being on tour. Do you get to talk to her very much when you practice? What is that vibe and what are those conversations like?” the former world no. 2 responded,

“With her, honestly we spoke a lot. We had chats even off-court. We went for lunch, for breakfast. We spoke a lot about how tough it is to deal with all these expectations, especially in her case. I had a little bit of the same in my career”. Hinting at her struggles with injuries and the corresponding backlash she faced on social media for her career decisions and her candid comments on other players, Badosa elaborated on the dark sides of fame in tennis. Withdrawing from the Olympics further made it worse for Badosa, who is still figuring out how to balance it all. 

Raducanu’s journey also portrays the same complexity. Her wrist and ankle injuries halted her pace to achieve success in tennis for several months. Subsequently, her decision to opt out of the Olympics further fueled the fire. Referring to it, Badosa further spoke, “I think she’s dealing with it pretty well now. She’s found a balance. It’s never going to be easy in her case because, as I say, anything she does, it’s going to get crazy. But it’s part of it. I think she has to find the beautiful part of it. That’s what I’m trying to find also. Of course, we talk about it. It’s nice that we can share our own experiences.”

Badosa considers herself a friend to almost every one of her peers. And the ones she is not on good terms with, the Spaniard humorously accused them of being the reasons behind it. But the former Wimbledon champion, Raducanu, is not one of them! Although Badosa intends to overpower her on-court and even threw a warning at her before the match with a smile, she concluded by wishing the Brit “the best.” A similar display of camaraderie was also observed during the Wimbledon Championship!

Badosa and Raducanu have a special set of nicknames for each other!

A few weeks ago, the tennis world was buzzing with excitement regarding the All England Tennis Club Championships in London. Raducanu and Badosa were among them as well. However, apart from the thrill of performing there, both shared some heartwarming moments with each other during their practice session. Raducanu also revealed their nicknames for each other.

“Paulita and Emmita 🤣🫶,” Raducanu wrote on her Instagram with some adorable pictures of their training sessions with each other. Badosa responded with more love and support for the Brit by reposting it on her Instagram with multiple heart emojis.

Surprisingly, they have met only once on-court before, with Raducanu claiming her victory over Badosa. However, a sequel to it is soon going to occur in the Citi Open on Friday. As you watch their intense match against each other, keep an eye out to catch their off-court banter as well!