Aryna Sabalenka wishes 'favourite person' Paula Badosa happy birthday: "Love you and miss you so much"

World number two Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka wished Spanish tennis star Paulo Badosa happy birthday in a post on social media.

The two are very good friends off the court and shared lighter moments on social media platforms in the past as well. Sabalenka, in a story on her official Instagram account, the one-time Grand Slam winner wished her ‘favourite person’ a very happy birthday.

“Happy birthday to my fav person. Love you and miss you so much. See you soon babe,” she wrote. Badosa is currently spending time on the sidelines as she continues to recover from a back injury sustained earlier this year. It was because of this reason she did not play in three out of the four Grand Slams in 2023.

On the other hand, Sabalenka had a rather disappointing end to 2023 as she lost her top spot in the WTA Ranking. That was largely down to the 25-year-old’s performance in the last big tournament on the women’s tennis calendar — the WTA Finals.

She lost to the new world number one Poland’s Iga Swiatek in the semifinal of the competition in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-2.

In other major events, Sabalenka had a more than impressive outing in 2023 as she played in the semifinal or beyond of all four Grand Slams. She also won her maiden and till now only major title after beating Elena Rybakina in the final of the Australian Open with a score of 4–6, 6–3, 6–4.