“Toxic influences”
After separation: Tennis star settles emotional accounts with Tsitsipas
June 18, 2026 – 2:36 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
After the victory in Berlin, Paula Badosa looks back on difficult months. She describes the separation from Stefanos Tsitsipas as particularly stressful and toxic.
Paula Badosa scored a significant victory against Coco Gauff at the WTA tournament in Berlin. After the 1:6, 6:3 and 6:2 against the seventh in the world rankings, the Spaniard was emotional and spoke openly at the subsequent press conference about the past few months, which had been challenging for her both in terms of sport and in her personal life.
The focus of her statements was the separation from the two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipaswhich took place in the summer of last year. Badosa explained that she has experienced several breakups and accepts them. However, she emphasized that the end of the relationship with Tsitsipas was particularly stressful. “I have experienced several breakups in my life. I accept them and know that things are the way they are,” said Badosa. “But when you’re surrounded by toxic influences, everything becomes much more difficult than in a normal breakup.”
With these words, Badosa made it clear that the relationship with Tsitsipas remained tense after the separation. She explained that it is entirely possible to have a good relationship with an ex-partner, as long as the relationship is normal. “You can have an excellent relationship with an ex-partner because they are normal people and the relationship remains normal,” says Badosa. “But if that’s not the case… I don’t have to say anything more. Every day we see each other making things more complicated.”
The openness with which Badosa spoke about her personal experiences underlines how much her personal situation has influenced her recent sporting achievements. The win against Gauff was all the more emotional for her.