Stefanos Tsitsipas makes passionate comments about Paula Badosa love story
Stefanos Tsitsipas has opened up about his love story with Paula Badosa, as he insisted the Spanish tennis star has opened his eyes to a world beyond tennis.
Tsitsipas has struggled to find his best form in recent months, with cynics suggesting his focus has been affected by his high-profile relationship with Badosa may be drawing his focus away from his play on court.
Yet the Greek star has offered an alternative view of his love life, as he believes Badosa has changed the way he looks at the world for the better.
“A lot of people have fun destroying everything and I don’t like that at all. My meeting with Paula gave me another vision of life in general,” he stated.
“Before, it was always tennis, tennis, tennis, that was all that mattered, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“During that part of my young career, I didn’t spend enough time with my family. Maybe for some these connections aren’t so important, but for me they are crucial.
“These are elements of my life that also require time. Not really energy, because they’re just part of me. So to have Paula by my side now is great. I’m going through the best time of my life.
“People who claim that I am no longer focused on tennis, I train more than I ever did in my career.”
A good balance off the court is crucial to achieving success on it and Tsitsipas, with the influence of his father often highlighted as a negative by his critics.
He has made some changes to his coaching team in recent months and now believes he is ready to find his best form in 2024, with his father now back on his coaching team.
“I have the right people around me, I have no doubts about that,” he told reporters while competing at the European Open in Antwerp.
“It takes years to mature as a man, or as a dominant athlete and I give myself time for that. I really want to make my dream come true one day.
“I dream that Paula and I can make it together and be No 1. I have nothing to prove to anyone.”
When asked about the return of his father to his coaching set-up he added: “He’s here to stay. I have no intention of ever changing my dad or pushing him away.
“People are always going to try and create rumours or try and destroy what you have with someone that is really close to you in any way or form. He’s someone that cannot be excluded.”
Badosa is currently out of the game with injury and that has seen her ranking slide to a lowly No 64, yet it is clear that her boyfriend has set big goals for the couple on and off the court.
This tennis romance has already attracted plenty of media headlines and if they can realise Tsitsipas’s dream and both make it to No 1 in the respective world rankings, interest in the golden couple of tennis will move to the next level.
READ MORE: Stefanos Tsitsipas snaps back at critics claiming Paula Baodsa romance is ruining his tennis
