Tsitsidosa over: Paula Badosa, Stefanos Tsitsipas withdrawal from US Open mixed doubles signals end of relationship

Spain’s Paula Badosa and Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas have withdrawn their name from the mixed doubles event at the US Open. The fourth Grand Slam of the year will be played for the first time in two different phases.

The first phase will take place from August 19 and feature big-name players competing to not only lift the ultimate prize but also to secure the $1 million prize money. The updated list of the teams was published by the tournament organisers on social media on Monday, but one prominent team was missing.

That team was of Badosa and Tsitsipas. There have been rumours that both ended their two-year-long relationship during Wimbledon and stopped following each other. Even though there has been no official confirmation about the status of their relationship, the rumours are bound to intensify with the latest development as well. Both players have had a tough few months leading up to Wimbledon, as they have struggled with fitness concerns.

Badosa, who was knocked out of Wimbledon after losing in the first round to Britain’s Katie Boulter with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, came into the competition after being forced to retire from the quarterfinal of the Berlin Open against China’s Wang Xinyu. She suffered a back injury during the Miami Open round of 32 against Denmark’s Clara Tauson.

On the other hand, Tsitsipas was also knocked out from the third Grand Slam of the year after being forced to retire in the first round match against Valentin Royer. The final score of the match was 6-3, 6-2. After that match, Tsitsipas came under heavy criticism from his coach Goran Ivanisevic, who questioned the former world number three’s preparation going into big events.

“It’s both simple and not simple,” said Ivanisevic while speaking to Serbian media outlet Sport Klub. “I’ve spoken to him several times. If he resolves certain off-court issues, he’ll have a chance to return to where he belongs, because he’s too good to be outside the top 10. He says he wants to (return to the top level), but he’s not doing anything. It’s always "I want, I want," but I don’t see any progress. I was shocked; I’ve never seen a more unprepared player in my life. With this knee, I’m three times fitter than him. It’s really bad.”

Badosa, on the other hand, recently announced that she would not take part in the ongoing DC Open, where she would have been defending her title, which she lifted last year after beating the Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova in the final. In a post on the social media platform X, Badosa revealed the reason behind not coming to Washington.

"I'm going through a really tough time," wrote Badosa. "Sometimes everything feels like a tunnel with no way out ... but if I've always proven one thing, it's that I never stop fighting. I want to sincerely thank all the people who are sending me their support, love, and energy during these difficult days. That encouragement sustains me and gives me the strength to keep going, even when everything seems uphill. Thank you for being there."

Badosa and Tsitsipas do not have a strong record in singles play at the US Open. Badosa appeared in the main round of the competition on five occasions and has only managed to cement a spot in the quarterfinal on one occasion, last year, where she lost to America’s Emma Navarro in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 7-5. On the other hand, Tsitsipas has never managed to get past the fourth round at the US Open. His best appearance came in 2020 and in 2021, where he was knocked out after losing in the third round.