But who is Tsitsipas’s girlfriend, Paola Bandosa anyway?

In the last few days her name Paola Bandosa monopolizes next to his Stefanou Tsitsipah. After the elimination of the leading Greek tennis player from the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, the two made their relationship known, without clarifying its form.

Their first move was to publish a joint playlist on Spotify, having their shared images as their profile picture. They then posted tender photos with hugs and kisses. The highlight was the creation of a joint Instagram profile under the name Tsitsidosa, which is an abbreviation of their surnames. Through this they also published a self-sarcastic message, in which they humorously mention “No Grand Slams, but love conquers all».

Although it seems clear that they are in a romantic relationship, the two have not made it clear. In fact, the description on their shared profile is “Friends and soul mates. Nothing less, nothing more».

However, it is certain that they have attracted attention and there are not a few who are wondering who is the Spanish woman who – from what it seems – has stolen the heart of Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The beginning of her career

Paola Bandosa was born on November 15, 1997 (nine months before Stefanos Tsitsipas) in Manhattan, USA, to Spanish parents who worked in the fashion industry.

Her initial thoughts were to go into modeling, but it was her mother who pushed her into sports – and it turns out it was a very good decision.

At the age of seven, the family moved to Barcelona, ​​where he began to play tennis. She left at the age of 14 for Valencia to develop in tennis and a few months later won her first junior title in Casablanca, as well as the doubles. Complete them juniors with three singles titles and a doubles title.

In March 2015, at the age of 18, he received a wildcard for the Miami Open, where he celebrated her first two wins on tour of the WTA. Her debut in the main draw Grand Slam took place in 2019 in Australia, but she was defeated in the first round.

Australia has a special place in her heart, having celebrated her first main draw victory there a year later. However, the tournament he lived through her greatest moments it’s Roland Garros.

There she celebrated her first junior title in 2015 and there, at the age of 23, she reached the quarterfinals of a major event for the first time in 2021, beating two title holders, Stephens and Ostapenko.

One more… bang on Indian Wells in 2021, where she captured the title by defeating Victoria Azarenka in a terrific final. In the same year, he reached the semi-finals of Madrid and became the first Spanish woman who manages it. He reached the semi-finals of Charleston and Lyon. Great moments and… more to come.

In 2022 she achieved her highest position in the ranking. She initially rose to No3, after her participation in the semi-finals of Indian Wells and the quarter-finals of Miami. Followed by launching her to No2 on April 25, 2022, but ended the year at #13.

This year her year has gone very wrong. He withdrew from the Australian open due to injury, as well as from the Abu Dhabi tournament. She returned to Qatar and Dubai, where she failed to celebrate a victory, while in Madrid she was defeated in the round of 16 by Maria Sakkari. The problems are back. She was ruled out of Roland Garros with a stress fracture, which will also keep her out of Wimbledon.

The comparison with Sharapova

Her love for Rafael Nadal is a given. It could not be otherwise, after all, for the Spanish woman who saw her compatriot flourish. However, her idol was Maria Sharapova. In fact, many compared the two players, due to the similarity they have in their impressive appearance, but also in their playing style. The Spaniard, however, does not seem to enjoy the comparison.

“Everyone thinks I’ll be in the top 10 at 18. I wasn’t ready. Unrealistic expectations set in and I lost. I had to step aside to improve and be happy. I was unhappy and stressed. Then I found Xavi Budo, who changed my life».

Budo was her coach from 2018 to 2020 and the one who helped her overcome mental health issues, compete in Grand Slam main draws and finish the season in the Top 100 for the first time.

The battle with depression

The mental health problems they knocked on Paola Bandosa’s door from a very young age. She spoke about them in the Netflix documentary Break Point, where she opened her heart with tears in her eyes, after her loss to Simona Halep in Madrid.

“It has happened to me again. I have struggled with depression for years. When I was 17 I won the juniors at the French open. People were talking about me like I was the next big thing, the next Maria Sharapova. I felt… wow, now I should be a legend, maybe next year I should be in the Top10. The pressure was enormous».

The testimony of her soul was shocking. He also talked about the moments when he thought about giving up, when he experienced painful defeats and when climbing the rankings did not come.

“It was hard, I didn’t know what to do. Life had no meaning, since since I was 7 years old my dream was to become a professional tennis player. It was difficult, I didn’t want to enter the court. I started finding solutions, working with mental health professionals, which definitely helped. I was very open about the difficulties I faced, because even the best athletes can feel that way. I am in a position where maybe, if I speak up, I will be able to help others. Many people don’t because they think they will look weak, but the opposite is true.

I fought a lot mentally to find myself. My team was there 34/7. Every time I think about something negative, I have them. They help me on and off the court. If I’m not having a good day or I’m struggling mentally, she’s there».

Her relationship with Juan Bedacur

Stefanos Tsitsipas seems to be the new entry into her life which, at least as shown by the published images, makes her happy.

It hasn’t been long since she got out of her previous relationship. From the summer of 2021, Paola Bandosa was a couple with the Cuban model Juan Bedacur.

In fact, he was by her side in several matches to cheer her on and rumors that they broke up “fired” when he stopped appearing. It started at the Madrid Open a few months ago, which marked the end of their relationship.