It was a bittersweet victory, full of empathy and joy, for Aryna Sabalenka against her close friend, Paula Badosa, in the Stuttgart Open. Badosa’s withdrawal from the match owing to a left thigh injury overshadowed the Grand Slam champion’s victory as she secured her place in the quarterfinals. But even in the thick of the competition, Sabalenka’s love was evident as she gave her best friend reassurance.

Following her triumph over Badosa in Miami, Sabalenka suffered a setback when she lost to Anhelina Kalinina, which forced her to take a break from competitive tennis in order to heal emotionally. However, the second seed in the Stuttgart Open was granted a bye into the second round, which gave her more time to gather herself and be ready for her next matches.

Aryna Sabalenka wants her best friend, Paula Badosa to “get back stronger”

When both the best friends went against each other recently, the Spaniard suffered an injury on the court. While everyone around her was worried, including her best friend, Sabalenka took to her Instagram account to share a few of the videos from the match. Along with the first video, she wrote, “My girl, I wish you a speedy recovery, love you.” 

In the second video, she shared an emotional moment where both of them embraced on the court after things went south for the former world number two-ranked tennis player. “I’ll always be there for you. I know you’ll get back stronger,” she added.

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Even though that victory brought the two-time Grand Slam champion a step closer to the tournament final, she was quite unhappy with the way things went with her best friend. In an interview after the match, Sabalenka stated, “I’m about to cry to be honest. I feel so bad for her, I love this girl… I don’t have any emotions right now. I’m not happy. I’m not sad. I just want to say thank you to the people who stayed till the end. Thank you so much.” 

However, both of them have constantly been for each other through different highs and lows of their lives. A few months ago, during the Miami Open, they were ready to face each other. The Spaniard was there to support Sabalenka when she faced a personal tragedy but kept going on the court.

Badosa appreciates ‘strong’ Sabalenka 

The 25-year-old tennis player won praise from Paula Badosa for showing incredible fortitude during their Miami Open 2024 encounter. The two-time Australian Open champion, who had gotten a first-round bye, did not withdraw from the competition despite going through a personal tragedy shortly before the event. Her ability to bounce back after the loss of her ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, and keep competing at her peak earned her praise from Badosa.

She stated, “No, I wasn’t surprised at all (by Sabalenka’s play). She’s a very, very strong woman, a strong personality, you can see it on the court. I knew she was going to play very well, and I told her, I wish her the best and let’s see if she can go very deep in this tournament.” However, she also revealed how uncomfortable it was to play Sabalenka on the court and gave her best friend credit for showing incredible mental toughness.

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on their amazing friendship? Do let us know in the comment section below.