Paula Badosa was repeatedly asked about the passing of Aryna Sabalenka's boyfriend, considering that they were good friends, but she dismissed all of the questions.
It's a bit of a grim atmosphere at this year's Miami Open because the death of Sabalenka's longtime partner has sent shockwaves. Not only was the death sudden and shocking, but it came also at the start of the tournament.
Sabalenka is going to play at the event, which is remarkable. Her first match will be against her good friend Paula Badosa, which is possibly why many reporters asked the Spaniard about the situation, which she declined to comment on.
It was surprising to see some media members asking the question, but then again, the event allowing Sabalenka to skip media duties shows that it was, unfortunately, expected.
The Spanish player was asked about the topic twice, and when she was asked the third time, she clearly expressed that she didn't want to talk about the topic.
"I mean, I don't want to talk about it. But of course. As I said before, she's one of my best friends. Yesterday I spoke with her a lot of time. This morning the same. So I know what she's going through. I know the entire situation, what is happening."
"That for me is a little bit shocking also to go through that because at the end she's my best friend and I don't want her to suffer. It's a very tough situation."
Sabalenka will avoid the press for good reason. Badosa clearly won't speak about the topic either, and she'll have to focus on their match, as it will be a bit untraditional.
"At the same point playing against her, it's also uncomfortable. Yeah, but I don't really want to talk about it because I said I'm not going to talk about it. She's my best friend and I promised that. I'm going to stay like this. Sorry."