Stuttgart Open: Aryna Sabalenka Issues a Saddening Response Owing to BFF Paula Badosa’s Unfortunate Withdrawal- ‘About to Cry, to Be Honest’
It was a bittersweet victory, full of empathy and joy, for Aryna Sabalenka against her close friend, Paula Badosa, in the Stuttgart Open. Badosa’s withdrawal from the match owing to a left thigh injury overshadowed the Grand Slam champion’s victory as she secured her place in the quarterfinals. But even in the thick of the competition, Sabalenka’s love was evident as she gave her best friend reassurance.
Following her triumph over Badosa in Miami, Sabalenka suffered a setback when she lost to Anhelina Kalinina, which forced her to take a break from competitive tennis in order to heal emotionally. However, the second seed in the Stuttgart Open was granted a bye into the second round, which gave her more time to gather herself and be ready for her next matches.
Aryna Sabalenka wants her best friend, Paula Badosa to “get back stronger”
When both the best friends went against each other recently, the Spaniard suffered an injury on the court. While everyone around her was worried, including her best friend, Sabalenka took to her Instagram account to share a few of the videos from the match. Along with the first video, she wrote, “My girl, I wish you a speedy recovery, love you.”
In the second video, she shared an emotional moment where both of them embraced on the court after things went south for the former world number two-ranked tennis player. “I’ll always be there for you. I know you’ll get back stronger,” she added.
Even though that victory brought the two-time Grand Slam champion a step closer to the tournament final, she was quite unhappy with the way things went with her best friend. In an interview after the match, Sabalenka stated, “I’m about to cry to be honest. I feel so bad for her, I love this girl… I don’t have any emotions right now. I’m not happy. I’m not sad. I just want to say thank you to the people who stayed till the end. Thank you so much.”
