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Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa recently expressed their admiration for one another, as the bond between them continues to grow stronger.
The duo have been friends for quite some time now, with Sabalenka even referring to Badosa as her "soulmate" on tour in the past. They have been pictured together both on and off the tennis court and have regularly featured on each other's social media profiles.
Their friendship once again made the news on February 24, when Sabalenka treated her family, friends, and fans to a Q&A session via her Instagram account.
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Amongst the numerous users to chime in with a response, Badosa had a very touching message for her friend that read:
"You look unbelievable, love you."
Sabalenka reciprocated the love along with a candid selfie of them.
"Love you too @paulabadosa," Sabalenka wrote in response.
Despite their inseparable bond, Sabalenka and Badosa seem to have never let it affect their tennis, and vice-versa.
They have faced off four times on tour up until now and have evenly split their wins. Badosa won their first encounter 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(4) in Cincinnati back in 2021. She won the second one too at the WTA finals, decisively clinching their round-robin match 6-4, 6-0.
Sabalenka has won their last two encounters, with both being incidentally played in Stuttgart. She won the first 7-6(5), 6-4, and the second, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa's friendship stretches beyond tennis
Aryna Sabalenka conceded in an interview that her friendship with Paula Badosa stretches beyond tennis, going on to also label the Spaniard her "soulmate" on the WTA tour.
Despite their fierce rivalry on the court, Sabalenka maintained that they would remain friends off the court regardless of anything.
"It is very difficult. It doesn't happen very often that you can find your soulmate on the circuit because we compete against each other. But we had this deal: on the court we are opponents, we can shout whatever we want, but off the court we are friends again," Sabalenka was quoted saying last year, via Tennisuptodate.com.
Badosa has also stated in the past that Sabalenka is one of her "closest friends" and that she is her inspiration.
"...being by her side I always say I learn a lot from her [Aryna Sabalenka], she inspires me. And I can get to say she’s my closest friend so it’s very nice to share the court with her," Badosa said in an on-court interview last December.
