Are we finally going to answer, 'Who is Paula's bestie?'
This week at the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin, Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur put their friendship with Paula Badosa to the test in the hopes of finally answering the burning question: Who is truly Badosa’s bestie?
If you haven’t been following the interpersonal dynamics between the trio, here’s a primer to get you caught up. Badosa and Sabalenka have long been each other’s “soulmates” on tour, but this season, Jabeur has been front-and-center in their friendship. In Rome, Sabalenka dubbed Jabeur her “bestie,” while Jabeur joked that she was something of a “psychologist” between the two.
“I love both, obviously,” Jabeur said. “I think Aryna and Paula have the connection of the fashion: ‘I wore this, I wore that, I bought this new purse,’ and I go to the real thing. ‘What do you need? Let’s go have dinner!'”
The WTA 500 grass-court event decided to wade into the debate by asking Jabeur and Sabalenka questions about Badosa’s favorite things, form her favorite food and her favorite sport (besides tennis) to her biggest pet peeve.
The results proved mixed, with Sabalenka even joking at the start that she wasn’t ready for the quiz by saying, “No, I withdraw from this tournament!” Neither player knew her favorite TV show, but both guessed her favorite shot (forehand) … even if they took different routes to the correct answer.
“We’re not talking about tennis!” Sabalenka said. “I’m not talking to Paula, like, ‘Oh, girl, what’s your favorite shot? Can you tell me?’ Especially because we’re opponents on the court. You can ask me, ‘What’s her type of guy?’ … these questions!”
But as far as partners go, Sabalenka couldn’t help but making a little joke, too.
“I mean, obviously Greek,” she quipped with a laugh.
With these questions answered, one still remains. Who’s your favorite doubles pair: Sabadosa, Jabadosa, or Jabenka?
