Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mum takes aim at ex-girlfriend Paula Badosa | Tennis | Sport
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother has pointed the finger at her son’s former romance with Paula Badosa as the cause of his dip in form. Tsitsipas, 27, climbed as high as world No. 3 in 2021 and has reached the final of both the French Open and the Australian Open in his career.
The Greek star has claimed 12 singles titles and won the Monte Carlo Masters in 2024. Yet a dismal run of results has since seen Tsitsipas tumble to 75th in the world rankings. Speaking about her son, Tsitsipas’ mother, Yulia Salnikova, opened up on how his previous high-profile romance with Badosa weighed heavily on him. “They were a good couple, but it was a burden for him. He was pushing himself too hard,” Salnikova told Punto de Break.
“The constant photos, social media, and all the media attention gradually affected him,” his mother continued. “Although he said he liked it, inside it was building up.”
Tsitsipas and Badosa began dating in May 2023, with their romance quickly thrust into the public eye, prompting the pair to launch a joint ‘Tsitsidosa’ social media account documenting their life together. The couple confirmed their split in May 2024, only to reconcile before parting ways once more in July 2025.
Tsitsipas’ best singles performance this year came when he reached the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open in February. In his personal life, the two-time Grand Slam finalist went public with his relationship with Kristen Thomas in January and his mother appears to be firmly in favour of his new partner.
“I feel like I’ve known her for 90 years,” Salnikova said. “She’s a very sweet girl, she understands tennis, she played for university, and she’s also built her own career in marketing and representation.”
Meanwhile, former world No.2 Badosa has also seen her on-court fortunes take a hit following a string of injury setbacks. The Spanish star has dropped out of the top 100 but did manage to reach the semi-finals of an ATP Challenger event in Austin two months ago.
Away from tennis, the 28-year-old has launched her own swimwear brand, Sunaswim. There has been speculation that Badosa could walk away from the sport following her fitness struggles and her candid social media posts about her battles with self-doubt.
While both Tsitsipas and Badosa face an uphill struggle to recapture their best form, they appear to agree that their split was the right call. The Greek star made his views on relationships abundantly clear when recently quizzed on whether he preferred to date a fellow tennis player.
“Non-tennis girlfriend. Trust me. Even if you don’t want to admit there’s competitiveness, there’s always competitiveness,” he replied. Badosa demonstrated their cordial relationship by responding with four laughing emojis.
