Stefanos Tsitsipas says he feels ‘extremely blessed’ to be in ‘wonderful’ Paula Badosa relationship

Stefanos Tsitsipas says he feels “extremely blessed” to be in a relationship with Paula Badosa and hasn’t had “that type of connection with anyone before”.

Rumours of a relationship between the two players started at the French Open when Badosa was spotted in the crowd during one of Tsitsipas’ matches.

They have since gone public, exchanging loved-up messages on social media, updating their Spotify profile pictures with selfies together, and featuring in a joint-Instagram account called ‘Tsitsidosa’.

Asked about the reaction from the tennis world to the news, Tsitsipas told Eurosport: “I feel happy and content.

“I haven’t really felt that type of connection with anyone before. I don’t mean to sound cringe or anything because that’s the reality and that’s what I am faced with. I am extremely blessed and happy that this came at this phase of my life.

“I get to do what I love and I get to do it with someone who completely understands me and gets it. I have been very interested in her mind more than anything else.

“Of course there is attraction but it’s also sometimes just a soul interaction and getting to fall in love with her mind. It’s very rare that these things happen.

“It’s like we share the same identity: same lifestyle, same desires, same passions, same ambitions. It’s the same. It’s wonderful to be a part of it and to experience it every day.”

The world No. 5 has been coached for a long time by his father Apostolos Tsitsipas.

He also had former Grand Slam runner-up Mark Philippoussis on his team until earlier this year when they split.

Tsitsipas says he still keeps in contact with Philippoussis but is “very happy” with his coaching team.

“These people have been there since day one, they have shown a tremendous amount of support and empathy of what I am doing.

“I have worked with a few people before who were ex professionals, I have spent time with them, I have been open minded, tried to sync in as much as I could. On the other hand, I am a person that having too many people around me during tournaments can be quite hectic and unbalance my mind a little bit.

“Having a few people around me can help me focus on what matters most. I enjoyed very much my partnership with Mark Philippoussis and I am still in close communication with him. He’s not a collaborator or coach to me, he’s a friend and that comes first.

“There is no better team in my opinion than my father. I might sound selfish saying that, but he was there, he left his job for me when I was 12 years old, he has been developing every single day, I am extremely happy seeing him trying to learn as much as he can, whether online, or in books, or anything.

“The fact he is humble and accepts he is not perfect, just like me, brings me closer to him. He is not a random coach, he is not someone who just picked up a racquet one day and decided he is coaching. He has knowledge, he has worked with professionals before me. He knows what he is doing and he belongs there, he belongs next to me.”

Tsitsipas is the second seed in Halle as he continues his Wimbledon preparations.

Only twice has he made it past the first round of the grass Grand Slam in five appearances, and he is eager to get some court time under his belt this week.

“I need matches, I want as many matches as possible before Wimbledon.

“If I get far in the tournament I’ll face a few tough opponents, but I’m ready for this challenge. I think that grass suits me well.”

Asked about his ambitions to win a first Grand Slam after losing in two finals, Tsitsipas added: “Of course I really want that.

“Other players want that also. I think I’ve wanted it so badly in the past that it stood in the way. Frankly, whether I win a Grand Slam title or not, I’m still lucky. I’ll keep trying to win a Grand Slam title but it wouldn’t be the end of the world.”