Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa have a documented friendship outside tennis, but Ons Jabeur has thrown a spanner in the works during a recent interaction between the trio.
Sabalenka, Badosa, and Jabeur are all in Stuttgart competing in the star-studded Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. It is a WTA 500 tournament loaded with eight of the world's Top 10 players.
Sabalenka and Jabeur had a bye in the first round by virtue of being the top eight seeds. Badosa, meanwhile, toppled Russian lefty Diana Shnaider in straight sets in her opening match.
In the second round, Sabalenka will attempt to stop Badosa for the third year in a row in Stuttgart. They'll put friendship aside and become rivals for a few hours in a marquee match on Wednesday.
But before then, the three payers met during practice at the tournament. Sabalenka and Badosa had actually shared the intense session together, which ended with an embrace on the net.
Tunisian no. 1 Jabeur jokingly intervened in their hug while holding a mopping broom and seemingly pushing Sabalenka away from the Spaniard. The hilarious interaction was captured by courtside cameras and shared on Instagram by the tournament.
Sabalenka and Badosa are best friends who often spend time together away from the tennis courts. The Belarusian refers to the former World No. 2 as her "tour soulmate," and tennis fans have given the pair a special moniker: Sabadosa.
When Sabalenka received the unfortunate news of her former boyfriend's death, Badosa was among the first people to show concern. But it looks like the friendship is now in jeopardy after Badosa disregarded her in favor of Jabeur.
"Very important question, because everybody wants to know, who is your best friend on tour?"
"You."
"Send me the tape! Send me."
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