Stefanos Tsitsipas hails Paula Badosa’s resilience after her WTA Comeback Player of the Year award

Stefanos Tsitsipas showered his girlfriend Paula Badosa with praise after she received the WTA Comeback Player of the Year Award, surpassing players like Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka, and Amanda Anisimova. The Spaniard climbed from World No. 140 to No. 12 by the end of the year.

The 27-year-old endured a back injury that sidelined her for much of the 2023 season, returning this year to rediscover the form that once brought her to World No. 2. Badosa reached the semifinals at the Cincinnati Open and the China Open before wrapping up the year.

The 2021 Indian Wells champion ended a 31-month title drought by claiming the DC Open. She defeated players such as Sofia Kenin, Liudmila Samsonova, and Raducanu en route to the final, where she overcame Czech Marie Bouzkova in three sets to secure the fourth title of her career and her second WTA 500 trophy.

Badosa also achieved her best performance at the US Open, reaching the quarterfinals and matching her career-best Grand Slam result from the 2021 French Open. She became one of the standout players in the final months of the year, winning 21 of her last 26 matches.

While the award for Badosa was announced a few days ago, her boyfriend Tsitsipas took to X (formerly Twitter) to leave a heartfelt message for the Spaniard. “My dear Paula, you’ve worked so hard and shown such resilience to re-establish yourself as a top player this year, and I couldn’t be prouder of you for winning the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award,” he posted.

“As someone once famously said, ‘Spanish never die,’” he added, referencing Novak Djokovic’s remark about Carlos Alcaraz after losing to him in the 2023 Cincinnati Open final.