Paula Badosa threw tennis ex-boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas under the bus after a Berlin match win, saying the traces relationship had her considering just quitting her sport.

Badosa reached the quarter-finals of the WTA Berlin pre-Wimbledon event and took the opportunity to unload on Greek Tsitsipas, whose game has gone into a major slump from his former top 10 standing to a dismal 80th on the ATP computer.

“You can have an excellent relationship with an ex, because they are normal people and the relationship remains normal,” the No. 142 said. 

“But when that’s not the case… I don’t need to say more. Every day we see the other person making things more complicated.

“When there are toxic things around you, everything becomes much more difficult than a normal breakup.” 

The New York-born 28-year-old Spaniard who once reached second in the world, said worrying about the relationship and its bitter end gave her pause to consider packing in her career due both in her personal life and a run of mainly

 back injuries  which contributed to her rankings plunge.

“After Madrid (late April) I had to stop (until last week); mentally it was too much for me. I couldn’t find a way to see a light (at the end of the tunnel).

“A year ago, I was in the top 10, and seeing where I am now isn’t easy. That’s the professional side. 

“On the personal side, the process hasn’t been easy either, trying to clear a lot of things from my life.”

 “I’ve been in a good environment for a few months, but getting past the toxic things around me wasn’t easy. 

“But it’s something you have to go through as a woman, and I’m feeling strong again.”

Main photo:- Badosa and Tsitsipas in happier days.

Roland Garros quarter-finalist Elina Svitolina ended the home dream of 80th ranked German Eva Lys with a 6-3, 6-2 victory on Thursday which put the Ukrainian into the last eight of the WTA Berlin event.

The Wimbledon tune-up in the federal capital did not work out for wild card Lys, who went down in just over an hour on the grass.Svitolina, 31 and ranked eighth in the world, is playing in Berlin for the first time in half a decade and is now into her eighth quarter-final of the season.

Svitolina has the edge over Lys after beating the German in home events at Stuttgart last April on clay and following up with the recent grass win which featured eight aces among 22 Svitolina winners.

The Ukrainian sixth seed saved seven of eight break points.

2025 Australian Open winner Madison Keys set up an American grudge match with Jessica Pegula thanks to a 6-4, 7-5 defeat of Czech Karolina Muchova.

Three of the final four games of the match were breaks of serve, with Keys taking a set and 5-4 lead on the back of four straight errors from her opponent.

But the American was unable to serve out victory in the next game; the finally prevailed with a concluding break for 6-5 and a welcome hold of serve to escape with the win.

Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa, whose career was blighted by back injury, handed Coco Gauff an opening loss to the American’s grass season with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 upset win on Wednesday at the WTA Berlin event.

Gauff, who exited in the Roland Garros third last month as she failed to defend her French Open title, looks like heading into the June 29 start of Wimbledon well underdone.

Badosa currently ranks 142 as she struggles with her long-running injury problems; she has reached the second week of Wimbledon three times, most recently in 2024.

She has now defeated Gauff in five of eight meetings and has reversed a five-match losing streak coming onto the grass of the German federal capital, winning her first match since Charleston last April.