Coco
Gauff commented that she has sent messages of support to
Paula Badosa for her
injury problems and that they have a friendly relationship despite not being
close friends. The 20-year-old star will face the Spaniard in the fourth round
of the
Rome Open.
Badosa
leads the head-to-head by 3-1, and she claimed victory in their only clay court
encounter back in the 2023
Madrid Open (6-3, 6-0). The 26-year-old tennis
player rose to world No. 2 and won the Indian Wells title, but injuries have
prevented her from maintaining her position at the top, and she has been
limited in her ability to compete over the past year. In fact, she ended the
2023 season in early July after an injury during Wimbledon kept her out for six
months.
Gauff
shares details of her relationship with Badosa
Paula
Badosa recently commented that Gauff was one of the players who approached her
and offered support during her long absence due to injury. In a press
conference prior to their match, Coco was asked if she has a close relationship
with her upcoming opponent: "Paula
and I, we aren’t close friends, but we are friendly with each other," Gauff commented.
"I think
she’s a nice girl. She’s always been nice. Her team has always been nice [at]
practice," the world No. 3 said. "I think she’s a player that loves
to play tennis. Unfortunate with all the injuries she’s had trying to come
back. Something else happening…" she added.
“I
felt compelled to just send her a message. I do that with most players on tour
that I know. I’ll send a message if I have their number or if we follow each
other on Instagram.”
Badosa is currently ranked world No. 126, but she is defending quarterfinals in Rome. A loss to Gauff would make her drop nearly 15 spots.
“Definitely
I think we’re pretty friendly on tour. We aren’t close friends. We’re
definitely in different stages. I feel like that’s a lot of me on tour. I think
she’s 25 maybe, so five years’ age gap. We’re never going to be close friends,
but I’m definitely friendly with her on tour. I always root for her,”
“It’s
going to be tough playing her. It is a tough matchup for me. I think she’s
getting back to her top form. She was No. 2 in the world, playing well. She’s
always dangerous regardless of how the past weeks have gone,” Gauff concluded.