Greece’s
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed that his girlfriend, Spain’s
Paula Badosa, is close to ‘100 %’ despite her decision to withdraw from the
Rome Open. The 27-year-old suffered an injury during the third-round win at
the Miami Open against Denmark’s Clara Tauson in straight sets with a score of
6-3, 7-6.
That injury forced Badola to withdraw from the competition
before the start of the fourth-round encounter against the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala. However, that was not enough, as Badosa was later forced to withdraw from the Madrid Open and, most recently, from the Rome Open.
Her boyfriend, Tsitsipas, who is also taking part in the
competition and has already secured his spot in the third round after beating
France’s Alexandre Muller in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 7-6, spoke to
the media after the match and revealed that his girlfriend is closer to full
fitness despite her decision to withdraw from the ongoing competition. The 26-year-old
also stated that Badosa has finally decided to understand her body and that he
is ‘happy’ that she is taking the required amount of time to return to the
court to ensure no further fitness issues.
“I feel like currently, she’s very close to 100 percent but
not there yet,” said Tsitsipas as quoted by
Tennis.com. “I can sort of guess on the outside. I have
been trying my best to support her in whichever way I can and know. Only she
knows what her limits are. I think she’s being smart. She was very naïve and
stubborn when it first happened about two years ago. She really wanted to get
back as soon as possible. I remember telling her she’s rushing and doing things
too fast. I’m happy that she learned how to listen to her body and knows how to
respond accordingly to the pain and discomfort she might have. So, I’m happy
she’s taking the necessary time that is required for her to be 100%.”