Paula Badosa reacts to Aryna Sabalenka's comments on how their friendship helped her open up after 'difficult situations in life'

Aryna Sabalenka recently reflected on how her friendship with Paula Badosa has helped her open up after going through tough situations in life.

Sabalenka and Badosa have been close friends for a while. The duo are often seen together across tournaments and share snippets of their quality time on social media. They have always been conscious of not letting their on-court rivalry affect their friendship.

In a recent episode of the WTA Insider Podcast, Sabalenka admitted that she was more reserved before and that her friendship with Badosa had helped her to become more open.

"I've been through really difficult situations in life with some people and that's why I became that closed. I'm more open now. I have this friendship with Paula. It's really important to have friends," Aryna Sabalenka said.

Reacting to Sabalenka's heartwarming words, Badosa expressed her affection for the Belarusian in the comments under the post.

Paula Badosa's comment under the Instagram post

Aryna Sabalenka recently won the 2024 Australian Open without dropping a single set. The Belarusian defeated Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the final, becoming the first woman to win back-to-back titles at the Melbourne Major since Victoria Azarenka in 2013.

Meanwhile, Paula Badosa has been recovering from a back injury that she picked up at the Thailand Open. She retired midway through her second-round encounter against Diana Shnaider. The Spaniard was trailing by a set, 2-6, 4-3, when she called it quits.

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"I learn a lot from Aryna Sabalenka, she inspires me" - Paula Badosa

Paula Badosa (L) and Aryna Sabalenka at the 2021 WTA Finals

Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka teamed up at the 2023 World Tennis League in December. They were part of Team Kites at the mixed-gender team tennis tournament and were partnered with Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov, and Lloyd Harris.

Following their win against Team Eagles' Mirra Andreeva and Sofia Kenin in the group stage, Badosa reflected on her friendship with doubles-mate Sabalenka. The Spaniard maintained that the World No. 2 has been an inspiration to her.

"I think doubles is all about connection and with Aryna you can see we have it. And also being by her side I always say I learn a lot from her, she inspires me," Badosa said.

Badosa labeled Sabalenka her 'closest friend' as she expressed delight at sharing the court with her.

"I can get to say she’s my closest friend so it’s very nice to share the court with her," she added.

Badosa and Sabalenka teamed up for doubles on three occasions on the tour. They defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia and Anna Danilina in their 2022 Miami Open opener before suffering a second-round exit. A month later, they won their first-round match against Ellen Perez and Ons Jabeur at the Stuttgart Open but later withdrew from the quarterfinals.

The duo last played together at the 2022 Madrid Open, where they lost to Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in the first round.