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Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa are rivals on the tennis court but share a close bond with each other outside of the sport. Recently, the two WTA stars reunited for a date night together in Dubai and gave fans glimpses of their special outing.
Sabalenka and Badosa first crossed each other's paths in 2021, when they battled at the Cincinnati Open as well as the WTA Finals. A little while after this, the duo quickly developed a close friendship despite their constant battles on the courts.
Most recently, Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa enjoyed a date night with each other in Dubai. Taking to her Instagram story, the Belarusian shared glimpses of their outing, calling Badosa ‘someone special’ and ‘baby’.
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Meanwhile, Badosa also took to her Instagram stories to share a glimpse of her night out. The Spaniard posted a snap of herself looking over her shoulder and wrote,
“Credit @arynasabalenka 😍.”.
Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa open up about their friendship and close bond
While Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa’s first few meetings pitted them against each other as rivals, the duo eventually realised that they had plenty in common. During the Tie Break Tens exhibition ahead of the 2022 Indian Wells, the two WTA stars formed a close friendship, one that has withstood the test of time.
Talking about the initial days of their relationship on the Inside-In podcast, Badosa said,
“We realized that we had very similar personalities and we get along very well. And that we’re both very, very competitive, but at the same time we know how to separate things. It’s very nice for me having a friend on tour because it’s very tough to find.
Later, in a press interaction at the 2024 Stuttgart Open, Sabalenka gushed over her bond with the Spaniard, saying,
“I love Paula very much. We have been friends for three or four years. She is an incredible person. It is very important to have friends on the circuit, so when you find someone who you feel is your soulmate, it is the best thing that can happen to you.”
On the tennis end of things, Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa have played each other a total of eight times. While Badosa won the first two of these meetings, Sabalenka has since dominated the Spaniard. Their most recent clash came at the 2025 Australian Open semifinals, where Sabalenka beat Badosa 6-4, 6-2.
