Every word Paula Badosa said after emotional match against Aryna Sabalenka
Best friends Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka shared an emotional embrace at the net as they played out a compelling match at the Miami Open after a traumatic week.
Two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka returned to the tennis court after her former boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov died at the age of 42 on Monday in what police described as an “apparent suicide” in Miami.
Koltsov’s death led Sabalenka to reveal her “heart is broken”, but she was able to show incredible composure and poise to beat good friend Badosa by a 6-4 6-3 score after an emotional few days.
Sabalenka is not speaking to the media in Miami as she comes to terms with the tragedy of Koltsov’s death, but this is what Badosa said as she gave her thoughts on the match.
On the circumstances surrounding the match. Was it tough?
I wouldn’t call it ‘special’ because it wasn’t very comfortable to play my best friend in this situation. After all, I want to talk about me, honestly. Three weeks ago I didn’t know I could be able to play here. I was in my country struggling, didn’t know what to do with my back with a lot of pain. Coming back here and being able to play, it’s already a win for me.
How did you both keep your emotions in check?
Well, honestly, both of us are pretty strong mentally. We’re strong woman. She proved it. I proved it. We knew how to disconnect in that two hours, one hours and a half of match. She played really well. I played really well for where I’m coming from. I think it was quite decent. That all comes from because we know we’ve been through a lot in our lives, we’re strong woman, and we know how to separate that in that moment.
READ MORE: Paula Badosa’s gushing praise for Aryna Sabalenka after emotional match in Miami
On whether she was surprised by Sabalenka’s level?
No, I wasn’t surprised at all. As I said, she’s a very, very strong woman, strong personality. You can see it on the court. Especially I know her off court. It doesn’t surprise me at all. I knew she was going to play very well or like normal. I told her I wish her the best. Let’s see if she can go very deep in this tournament.
How did she rate her own performance?
I think it was okay. I mean, as I said, I’ve been playing for the first time after almost a year eight days in a row. So for me I’m very happy about that because I wasn’t able to play Indian Wells. I started to train there. I’m really happy that I’m being able to get back to it and to play high-level matches.
I think it wasn’t that bad. It was, like, maybe small details. Also she played very well. With all she’s going through, credit to her. So congrats.
Did they wear a black outfit following the events of the last few days?
No, no, not at all. It was a coincidence. Nike’s outfit.
