World No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka poked fun at her best friend Paula Badosa for her fondness for Greek men but insisted it didn't change the fact that they were "soulmates."
Sabalenka and Badosa tend to enjoy a close friendship both on and off the court. But in the last few months, fellow WTA player Ons Jabeur has tried to hijack their comradeship.
This was evident during the WTA 500 event in Stuttgart, where the Tunisian trailblazer jokingly separated Sabalenka and Badosa from each other during a post-practice hug.
In fact, their light-hearted banter has extended to social media, where Jabeur's nagging habit bore fruit because the Spaniard agreed to her claim that she was her best friend and not Sabalenka.
This week, the three women are in Berlin to compete at the star-studded grass-court event in Germany. Sabalenka and Jabeur participated in a friendship challenge before the start of the tournament to gauge who knew Badosa better.
"I mean she made a statement that it's Ons [Jabeur], but we decided that I'm her soulmate. So, I guess Ons?"
When the questions became tennis-related, such as what was Badosa's favorite shot, the two-time Australian Open winner rebuffed them and suggested to the interviewer to ask about the former World No. 2's fondness for men, hinting at her friend's off-court romance with ATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas.
"Her favorite shot? We are not talking about tennis. Like, I am not like talking to Paula like, 'Oh girl, what's your favorite shot? Can you tell me?' Especially we are like opponents on the court. But, you can ask me, like, what's her type of guy? I mean, obviously Greek. I mean, these questions, you know. I can assume forehand."
Sabalenka and Jabeur both progressed to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Badosa, meanwhile, withdrew from her second-round match in doubles with Victoria Azarenka.
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