Paula Badosa has criticized recent remarks by Stefanos Tsitsipas about their split. Speaking after her victory over Coco Gauff at the WTA 500 in Berlin, she called the end of their relationship toxic and unusually complicated compared with her previous breakups. “When there are toxic elements, everything is more complicated,” she said, as reported by Tennis World Italia.
Their relationship had more than one rupture: the pair briefly separated in May 2024, reconciled several weeks later and ultimately split in July 2025. The final breakup followed a series of ups and downs and continued to draw headlines. Tsitsipas, a former world No. 3 who was ranked 80th in the ATP at the time of the remarks described here, said he would prefer a partner outside tennis. He explained that sharing a profession made it harder to switch off from the sport and brought strain into their private lives, including anxiety and uncertainty.
Speaking in Almaty, Tsitsipas said the strain was not simply a question of affection: “That is not an excuse not to be with someone, because when you love someone and truly care about them, you move mountains to be with that person and spend time together. But over time I felt it was too much.” He has also said he was never comfortable with the spotlight on his private life and wanted a clearer boundary between work and personal life.
Badosa, who resides in Begur but was born in New York, said at a press conference that staying on good terms with an ex depends on how the relationship and separation unfolded. “You can have a good relationship with an ex if things have always gone well, but when they haven’t… there’s nothing more to add,” she said. She described moving beyond the toxic dynamics as difficult, while saying she now feels stronger and healthier. Badosa also anticipated media reactions to her statements and maintained that criticism of Tsitsipas was justified in the circumstances.
Despite her win against Gauff, Badosa did not reach the semifinals in Berlin, losing to Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals. The Czech player, ranked 13th in the world, secured a decisive victory in just over an hour, leaving Badosa unable to recover from a difficult start. The result came as Badosa works to rebuild her career and personal stability following a turbulent period.
The renewed public discussion has drawn attention within the tennis community and among Spanish sports fans, reflecting how the demands of elite competition can overlap with private life when both partners work in the same sport. The former couple’s prominence also meant their relationship unfolded under sustained public attention. Similar attention to cultural and personal stories in Spain was evident when Catalan bookstores recently highlighted new literary voices and industry challenges at the Premi Llibreter 2026 awards ceremony.
Badosa was ranked 142nd in the WTA at the time, while Tsitsipas was outside the ATP top 75. Both athletes have had fluctuating results on court in recent seasons, while their personal lives have often overshadowed their sporting achievements. Their comments have renewed focus on the pressures faced by high-profile athletes, whose professional and personal lives can be difficult to keep separate.
