(VIDEO) ‘Sabadosa’ on show as Sabalenka jokes with Badosa in Madrid
WTASunday, 19 April 2026 at 06:30
Aryna Sabalenka returned to the practice courts at the Madrid Open with a lighter tone this week, sharing a brief on-court exchange with Paula Badosa that reflected both familiarity and confidence ahead of the clay swing.
The world No. 1, who opens her clay-court season in Madrid after withdrawing from Stuttgart to manage workload, arrives in strong form following consecutive titles at Indian Wells and Miami. That run extended her winning streak to 12 matches and reinforced a dominant start to the 2026 season.
Sabalenka’s overall record now stands at 23-1 for the year, with three titles from four tournaments played. Her only defeat came in the Australian Open final, where she lost to Elena Rybakina. The consistency has created a significant points gap at the top of the rankings, exceeding 2,500 points over her closest challenger.
Madrid represents a key phase in that trajectory. The Belarusian is a three-time champion at the event (2021, 2023, 2025) and the defending title holder after defeating Coco Gauff in last year’s final. It is also the WTA 1000 tournament where she has recorded her highest number of wins, holding a 23-4 record and reaching at least four finals.
Sabalenka combines form with relaxed preparation in Madrid
Sabalenka’s arrival video offered a brief insight into her current mindset, balancing competitive readiness with a relaxed approach to preparation. Speaking at the start of the clip, she acknowledged her return to the tournament and her comfort with the environment. “Hola Madrid! I’m back, I’m super happy to be back, what a wonderful tournament.”
The sequence then shifts to a practice court interaction with Badosa, where Sabalenka adopts a more informal tone, calling out instructions across the court during training. The exchange reflects a level of familiarity between the two players, as well as Sabalenka’s willingness to maintain a lighter atmosphere ahead of competition.
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“Here you can see Paulita training… come on, move your legs girl!,” the 4-time Grand Slam champion joked during Badosa’s training sesión. “Accelerate more, what is that… vamos, vamos!”
From a competitive perspective, the Madrid Open has consistently aligned with Sabalenka’s strengths. The altitude conditions and faster clay courts favour first-strike tennis, an area where she has maintained high efficiency throughout the 2026 season, particularly during the Sunshine Double.
Badosa seeks ranking recovery on home soil
For Badosa, the context differs significantly. The former world No. 2 currently sits at No. 106 in the rankings after dropping outside the Top 100, making Madrid a critical opportunity to regain points and rebuild momentum.
Her best result at the Madrid Open remains a semi-final run in 2021, where she lost to Ashleigh Barty. Since then, her performances at the event have been inconsistent, including a first-round exit in 2025.
The training interaction with Sabalenka provides a contrast in positioning between the two players. While Sabalenka arrives as the clear favourite with a dominant ranking margin and recent titles, Badosa enters in a rebuilding phase, aiming to stabilise results and re-enter the higher tiers of the rankings.
Badosa’s ability to generate depth from the baseline and sustain longer rallies could be relevant on clay, but her recent results suggest a need for improved consistency, particularly on serve and in pressure moments. After starting with a couple of triumphs in Charleston Open, Badosa has now suffered three consecutive defeats on clay-courts.
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
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- "This of course a stark change to Rybakina who is obviously more timid..." That just may be the dumbest thing ever written about Lena. For a CCO, Mr. Gill seems to have either made an error in judgement -- or needed filler for this article -- to say something so ridiculous.
mandoist13-09-2026 - “The way I like to put it – no disrespect to anybody – is that this is her house, and all the other girls are just guests, and it’s time for them to go home” Well now... seems John Stacy has made a complete ass of himself. Doubt he'll be receiving any invitations to Lena's "house" any time soon.mandoist13-09-2026
- I am sorry, but Sabalenka has NO EXCUSE for her despicable behaviour. She lacks self and mouth control! The message is being sent but Saba isn't getting it! She is full of arrogance and pride. Hopefully, after this defeat she will be on the way to becoming a humble lady LIKE ELENA! I hope she never regains the world No. 1 until she develops some humility.Rapunzel13-09-2026
- Sabalenka began showing signs of her game gradually 'changing' since last season. I predicted her fascination with posting endless Selfies, participating in commercial media distractions and constant Social Media nonsense could impact her in a negative way. Her off-court Life was sure to interfere with her performace level. Visions of Raducanu, Giorgi, Bouchard come to mind. The Final yesterday was a weird case of polar-opposites. Sabalenka and Rybakina could not be any more different in personalities! Saba often portrays a somewhat fake persona, including her Phony Screaming. Her usual habit of acting like the nice girl with a sense of humor is a misconception. People take her lack of intellect as "cute" and "funny". So anyway... yesterday viewers witnessed that Fake Scream be reduced to a whimper and sometimes no vocal gymnastics at all once she knew the jig was up. We all saw her look into the camera post-match and say "F... You". Also, pretty hard to not see Saba making untoward facial expressions, rolling her eyes, etc., behind Rybakina while on the podium. Elena Rybakina, on the other hand, was her usual 'in-control' self as she spoke clearly and calmly, without making faces nor any ill-will toward anyone = 100% Class Act. Lena appeared more than aware of Saba's sour attitude and made a point of not looking in her direction most of the time. FWIW: I have never -- not ever -- heard Sabalenka make any sounds on practice courts. So it is indeed a nonsensical ruse as she thinks (incorrectly) it affects opponents. It does not. In fact, as was the case yesterday, I saw Lena occasionally take a side-eye glance at Saba on her way to the bench... as if to calculate her emotions. Saba is actually a very easy 'read'.mandoist13-09-2026
- WTA really, really hates this sort of thing. They surely are satisfied to make believe no such thing happens (or happened).mandoist13-09-2026
- WTA and ATP cannot even make their dope testing equal and precise across the board. They sure as hell cannot escape a stituation they themselves made over the ridiculous "penalty" of omitting a player's country flag. Nothing regarding which flags to display (or not) should be a Thing. It proves nothing; solves nothing. If anything, all it did was cause stress, tension, and even outbursts between players in the WTA locker room. Let's not even start with the asinine practice of not shaking hands at the net with "the enemy". There seems to be a general lack of intelligence behind Pro Tennis administrations' Closed Doors. .mandoist13-09-2026
- Big Babe Tennis! Hoping for a good final.DaveyWavey12-09-2026
- Director needs to return to his old "job" at the Australia Open. He's clueless in NYC.mandoist12-09-2026
- You keep writing ridiculous crap... why are you even watching tennis?mandoist12-09-2026
- They probably have a very good reason for this. I do not get it. Annoying that it finishes so late
AceOfBase12-09-2026
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