Tennis may shine the spotlight on the players, but behind every success story lies a support system that rarely gets its due recognition. For Paula Badosa, family has always been that support system, quietly pushing her to new heights. The Spanish tennis star has never been shy about acknowledging the important role her family plays in her success, and once again, she’s letting the world know. At the China Open, Badosa took a moment to speak from the heart, opening up about the deep love and admiration she holds for her father.

The Spaniard handed a scathing defeat to Jessica Pegula in straight sets by 6-4, 6-0 to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament in Beijing. Badosa engaged in the post-match interview after the grand victory and did not fail to acknowledge her father, Josep Badosa’s presence in the stands. She highlighted her love for her father and the support she has received from him in her career. 

Speaking in the interview, Badosa said, “Last thing I want to say, um, it never happened but it’s the first time when my father is here and I want to dedicate this because he never comes on tournaments.” She further highlighted how special her bond is with her father. “He’s out there so… I wouldn’t be here without him so he’s very special and I owe him so much.” For the unversed, Badosa’s father works in the art and fashion industry and has dealt with high-profile clients and models in the 1990s and early 2000s. Interestingly, this is not the first time when Badosa has opened up about how her family supports her. 

After winning the title at the Citi Open this year, Badosa opened up about the support she receives from her family and beau Stefanos Tsitsipas. In a press conference, Badosa thanked her parents for supporting her in challenging days and said “Yeah, it’s the first thing I did on court. I called my family and Stefanos, of course, because I know they’re always there for me. They’ve been in the tough moments. They’ve seen me very, very down this last year. I wanted to live the moments with them because of course without them I wouldn’t be here because they support me every day 24/7.”

Talking about Stefanos Tsitsipas, he has, time and again, publicly expressed his admiration for his girlfriend Paula Badosa.

When Stefanos Tsitsipas opened up about how Paula Badosa helps him improve

Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas are the power couple of tennis. They have often shared adorable moments and have expressed immense love for each other. A similar situation was witnessed at the Monte Carlo Masters this year when the Greek heaped praises on Badosa and highlighted her role in her career. 

Speaking at the interview, Tsitsipas said, “I find Paula’s opinions about my game very important and the way, basically her perspective on how she thinks of certain things as opposed to me. He further highlighted how she thinks rationally and acts as the “biggest blessing” for the player. Badosa too, has reciprocated similar sentiments and has highlighted time and again that practicing alongside Tsitsipas helps her improve her own game as well. 

For now, it would be interesting to see if Badosa’s father appears in another match of his daughter as the WTA star inches a step closer to clinching the title at the China Open.