"That has hurt me a lot": Paula Badosa calls out trolls

Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa has revealed that it was hurtful to hear accusations that she was ‘harming’ her boyfriend Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas' career.

Some fans on social media platforms accused the 25-year-old of becoming a distraction in the career of the current world number six who has had a rough outing in the recent past.

While addressing those comments, Badosa revealed that it was indeed hurtful as she has always tried to help Tsitsipas in producing the best tennis on the court.

"That has hurt me a lot, because with the whole issue of the injury, I have actually been able to dedicate myself quite a bit to helping him,” she said. “We both love tennis and he is also a super-working person, we are very similar in the goals we set for ourselves. We talk a lot about tennis, and we help each other a lot.

"As you can see, I have gone to the track to support him or to the gym to accompany him, always respecting the times and his people, his team; He has also supported me a lot with the injury, so when we read those things it impacts us. Sometimes people are not able to understand how that can affect you, or affect a relationship.

"I can understand that we are public figures and that we are exposed, but in the end, we are two 25-year-old children, and all this is delicate, because it is an innocent relationship."

"We have met, and it has arisen, and for people to go around saying things is quite serious, because they are destroying the career of someone who has spent his entire life dedicating himself to what he does. I don't think that giving an opinion this way is very humane.”

Badosa is currently recovering from a back injury which ruled her out for most of the action in 2023.