One thing that's common between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa is that they both are shadows of their former selves when it comes to their performance on the tour.
Additionally, they are both struggling with lingering back problems.
Badosa, a former World No.2, has already dropped out of the top 100 and currently stands in the 102nd spot. Tsitsipas, a former World No.3, is a World No.75 player.
The Italian Open is underway, but Badosa is not competing. She was last seen in action at the Madrid Open, where Julia Grabher clinched a three-set win in the first round. Although Tsitsipas lost a tough three-set fourth-round match to defending champion Casper Ruud at the Madrid Open, he suffered a first-round exit at the Italian Open.
Tsitsipas and Badosa ended their turbulent relationship last year, with the former now dating Kristen Thoms. The two tennis players started dating earlier in 2023 and split after about a year before reconciling a few weeks later. They broke up for the second time in mid-2025, and toward the end of the year, Tsitsipas went public with Thoms.
Tsitsipas' mom, Julia Salnikova, believes Thoms' presence has helped him mature as a person and bring emotional stability into his life, which was not there while he was with Badosa because the constant media exposure troubled the introverted Tsitsipas.
They were a good couple, but it was a burden for him. He was trying too hard… The constant photos, social media, and all the media attention gradually affected him. Although he said he liked it, internally, it was piling up.
Julia Salnikova said (H/T: Punto de Break)Tsitsipas is now enjoying a relationship that he always wanted, believes his mom. Salnikova also said Thoms has fully become a part of their family.
I think he has matured from all points of view […] She has provided him with a very comfortable emotional life… I feel like I've known her for 90 years. She is a very sweet girl, understands tennis, played for the college, and has also built her own career in marketing and representation… Their relationships even develop in an epistolary manner. They don't just exchange messages or texts; they write actual letters. Stefanos dreamed of a relationship like this.
Julia Salnikova addedTsitsipas will next be preparing for the French Open, where he is a onetime finalist, reaching the stage in 2021 and losing to Novak Djokovic. He suffered a second-round exit last year.
During the aforementioned interview, Julia Salnikova further revealed that during his childhood, Stefanos Tsitsipas experienced bullying. His father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, did not agree when Salnikova suggested that their son should resist and endure the bullying.
He was introverted from a young age, and the kids didn't understand his interests or his way of being. Yes, he suffered bullying. My initial reaction was to think he should resist and endure it. But my husband had the wisdom to say no. We simply moved him to another class, and everything changed.
Julia Salnikova saidSalnikova said the new class received him with respect because he was good at tennis. She also revealed that Tsitsipas has a passion for philology and that if he doesn't know a language perfectly well, he would never indulge himself in deep conversation in that language.
Tsitsipas received the wildcard for the Geneva Open, the main draw of which is set to start on May 17th. Novak Djokovic is the defending champion, but he won't be participating. After the Geneva Open, the tennis world will shift its focus to the French Open, the main draw of which starts on May 24th.
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