Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother opens up about her son’s ‘interesting relationship’ with Paula Badosa
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa’s “relationship was difficult from the start”, according to the ATP star’s mother Julia Salnikova as she admitted the long-distance nature and injuries took their toll.
Tsitsidosa – as they were dubbed by tennis fans – went viral during the 2023 French Open when internet sleuths discovered they were dating and not long after they went public and certainly lived up to the tag of a tennis power couple.
They gave fans a glimpse of their relationship as they regularly shared content on their social media accounts and also regularly attended each other’s tennis matches when they both featured at the same events.
However, just over a year after they went public, they announced on Instagram that they had broken up only to get back together three weeks later.
But they once again went their separate ways in June 2025 with no reports of a reconciliation on the cards.
Former player Salnikova has opened up about her son’s relationship with Badosa on Sports Russia as she was asked about the problems Tsitsipas faced over the past year and replied: “If we’re talking about the last year, then, of course, it was his breakup with Paula Badosa. That wasn’t easy either.”
She added: “When I was a professional tennis player in my youth, I thought a man shouldn’t react so emotionally. … For some reason, that’s how I felt. But it turns out that men are perhaps even more sensitive in this matter.
“I wouldn’t really like to go into that because I have an agreement with the team. The most accurate answer would be: the relationship wasn’t easy for him.”
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The relationship had its ups and downs and Salnikova believes the fact that they both struggled with serious injuries and the fact that they were constantly travelling due to their tennis schedules made things difficult.
“It was certainly an interesting relationship. It wasn’t some ordinary, dull, everyday relationship because it was long-distance,” she said.
“And they both entered this relationship injured — and suffering from physical pain. When they started dating, Paula couldn’t play at all because of a back injury.
“The relationship was difficult from the start.”
Both endured a tough 2025 season as they once again struggled with form and injury as Tsitsipas won only one title, the Dubai Tennis Championships, and finished the year with a 22–18 win-loss record having missed the bulk of the second half of the season due to a back problem.
Having started the year at No 11 in the ATP Rankings, the Greek slipped out of the top 30 for the first time since 2018 as he finished at No 34.
Badosa, meanwhile, started at No 12 and finished at No 25 as she failed to win any titles in 2025. The Spaniard also struggled with a back injury and had a 18–13 win-loss record in 2025.
