Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother Yulia Salnikova described the Greek tennis star’s relationship with Paula Badosa as “not easy,” but refused to go into exact details because they have agreed on not addressing it publicly. 

Tsitsipas and Badosa, who started dating during the 2023 French Open, briefly separated in May 2024 before reuniting a few weeks later. Just days after the two tennis stars concluded their Wimbledon campaigns early, they removed each other from Instagram and broke up for the second time. But this time, their split was for good.

Neither Tsitsipas nor Badosa has publicly spoken about their high-profile breakup. 

Tsitsipas’ mother: Breakup with Badosa wasn’t easy… Men may be more sensitive in such situations than girls

“If we’re talking about the last year, then, of course, it was his breakup with Paula Badosa. That wasn’t easy either. When I was a professional tennis player in my youth, I thought a man shouldn’t react so emotionally. For some reason, that’s how I felt. But it turns out that men are perhaps even more sensitive in this matter. I wouldn’t really like to go into that because I have an agreement with the team. The most accurate answer would be: the relationship wasn’t easy for him,” Salnkova told sports.ru.

Since breaking up with the Spaniard, Tsitsipas has gone through a turbulent time on the court. Firstly, the two-time Grand Slam finalist was publicly criticized by Goran Ivanisevic after their second tournament together. They instantly split. 

Then, Tsitsipas started to struggle with a back injury and went only 2-4 during the North American hard-court swing. The 27-year-old represented his country in the Davis Cup in mid-September, then didn’t play any main-level events in the rest of 2025. 

Overall, it was a rough year for Tsitsipas, who went 22-18 and finished the year ranked at No. 34 – a far cry from where he once was.