Paula Badosa opens up on her role as a ‘second mom’ and reveals financial hardships
Paula Badosa is one of the most talked about players in tennis and now she has opened up about a member of her family she protects more than any other.
The Spanish star has created plenty of headlines over the course of 2023 thanks to her high-profile love story with fellow tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Rumours were swirling earlier this month that the couple had broken up after their joint Instagram account deleted all images.
Yet the pair have since appeared together on social media platforms, much to the delight of those who follow their story.
Now Badosa has given her fans an insight into her close relationship with her younger sister Jana, after admitting she feels ‘like a second mom’ to her sibling.
“My younger sister, she’s 15 years old. Her name is Jana,” said Badosa
“We have a 10-year difference so I always felt that, of course, I’m her older sister but as I say, at the same time, I always felt like I had to like, be her second mom,” she said in a WTA production called My Journey: Paula Badosa
“I protect her so much, especially the role I’m playing right now with her right now it’s financially, I’m helping her.
“Her dream was always to come to the US, to study, to learn English. Her maturity is growing so fast thanks to that, so I’m very proud of her.
“She’s the most important person in my life. So I would, she knows that I would do anything for her.
“I just want her to have an opportunity to do whatever she wants or her dream. I had my opportunity to make my dream come true, so I just want that for her.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p6Og2mM57Q
Badosa also revealed she has overcome plenty of hurdles to make it as a tennis player, as she struggled financially in the early phase of her career.
“I have always been very aware of how hard this life is, how complicated it is to be a professional tennis player, as well as how expensive it is,” she added.
“This type of life is not for everyone, in my case, I also come from a very humble family. I have always been very independent, I never wanted anyone to help me.
“When I turned 15 I started managing my money, I learned from all that. Of course there were times where I had a hard time with certain payments, but I always managed on my own.
“The last thing I wanted was to be a burden on my family. The first year that I broke into the top 100 in the world ranking, I went through a lot of stress and a lot of worry because I was dealing with all these issues independently.
READ MORE: Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa give their fans the update they wanted
“I started playing tennis when I was seven years old, I felt that it was very easy for me.
“At that moment I saw that I was good at it, so from that moment on I didn’t even try to practice other sports, I focused entirely on tennis, it was like love at first sight.”
Tennis players are sometimes reluctant to tell their personal stories to the media, but films like this give an insight into what makes a top professional tick.
It’s little wonder that Badosa is one of the most popular players in tennis and her story continues to attract plenty of attention.
