Australian Open: How Aryna Sabalenka & Paula Badosa became tennis ‘soulmates’
Friends will become rivals at the Australian Open on Thursday.
For the eighth time in their careers – and the fourth time in the past 12 months – Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa will do battle on court.
The semi-final of a Grand Slam signals by far and away their biggest meeting and will put the close relationship between the two in the spotlight.
Early career and first meetings
Born just six months apart (Badosa in November 1997, Sabalenka in May 1998), the pair grew up in the same generation, admiring the likes of Serena and Venus Williams, and Maria Sharapova.
Badosa was the biggest star as a junior, winning the French Open girls’ singles title in 2015, though she then struggled to transition into senior action.
In contrast, Sabalenka won her first WTA title at the Connecticut Open in 2018 and by the end of 2019 had five WTA titles to her name – including two WTA 1000 wins in Wuhan.
It wasn’t until 2021 that Badosa started to make significant inroads towards the top of the game, winning her first WTA title in Belgrade before reaching her first Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros.
That was followed by a stunning triumph at Indian Wells, lifting the biggest title of her career in the desert that October – downing former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka.
2021 was also a significant year for Sabalenka, who reached her first Grand Slam semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.
It was also the year the two met for the first time, with Badosa winning in three sets at the Cincinnati Open and in straight sets at the WTA Finals.
The two were not friends during that period, though that would soon change.
Friendship emerges
It was at Indian Wells in 2022 when the pair, both ranked inside the top 10, began to form a close friendship.
Sabalenka and Badosa joined forces with an array of WTA and ATP stars at the Tie Break Tens exhibition event before the start of the tournament and immediately hit it off.
“We realized that we had very similar personalities and we get along very well,” said Badosa on the Inside-In podcast.
“And that we’re both very, very competitive, but at the same time we know how to separate things. It’s very nice for me having a friend on tour because it’s very tough to find.”
Just weeks later, Sabalenka would beat Badosa for the first time in the semi-final of the Stuttgart Open, by which time they had forged a close bond.
The pair were doubles partners that year in Stuttgart, and again played together at Badosa’s home tournament in Madrid later that spring – having also played together in Miami earlier that season.
Sabalenka and Badosa have played each other for three consecutive years in Stuttgart, with the world No 1 paying a touching tribute back in April 2024 ahead of their most recent match at the tournament.
“I love Paula very much,” Sabalenka said.
“We have been friends for three or four years. She is an incredible person. It is very important to have friends on the circuit, so when you find someone who you feel is your soulmate, it is the best thing that can happen to you.”
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Rivalry renews
Sabalenka beat Badosa at the Stuttgart Open in 2023 and won all three of their meetings in 2024, triumphing in Miami, Stuttgart, and Roland Garros to record five straight wins in their rivalry.
In recent months, their matches and friendship have become even more intertwined, facing each other during hugely difficult periods for both.
Their meeting in Miami was Sabalenka’s first match after the death of her former partner, Konstantin Koltsov, while Badosa’s injury struggles forced her mid-match retirement in Stuttgart.
Badosa is now back fit and both women are playing the best tennis of their respective careers, with a place in the Australian Open final at stake.
Sabalenka has won 19 matches in a row in Melbourne and is searching for her third straight Australian Open title, while Badosa is looking to become the fourth Spanish woman to win a major.
Expect no pleasantries during the match, but a huge embrace after it.
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