"Wasn't expecting that" says Paula Badosa on drawing Azarenka in the 1st round

Paula Badosa and Victoria Azarenka will play each other in the first round of the Adelaide International I and Badosa was not expecting that.

The start of the season in Australia is filled with extremely strong events thanks to the majority of tour being present at the same place. They are all preparing for the upcoming Australian Open and the Adelaide International I is an example of such a strong event. In the first round, we will get a rematch of the Indian Wells final between Badosa and Azarenka.

Speaking on that, Badosa said:

"The offseason has been short but it was intense. I love Australia and I'm quite excited to start the year. I'll have a really tough first match against Azarenka, I wasn't expecting a match like that to start, but to win a tournament you have to beat the best players."

Funnily enough, the pair also elected to play doubles together although that deal was struck before the draw was made public. They started off well in that department winning their first match comfortably and ensuring another match. It means they will play together once more after one of them wins the singles match. Turning things away from that, Badosa also spoke about her love for tennis and how it makes it easier to deal with the hardships of tour life:

"You leave many things behind, yes, but you make up for it with the successes you have, winning tournaments, playing good games, enjoying the day to day. I am lucky that I really like tennis, I enjoy competing and I also enjoy training, being in the world of tennis, the tennis life."