“Paula Badosa speaks only Catalan around me" - Stefanos Tsitsipas jokingly blames his girlfriend after being asked to speak Spanish at Los Cabos Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas recently admitted that he has been having a tough time learning Spanish as his girlfriend Paula Badosa communicates in Catalan around him.

Tsitsipas and Badosa have been officially dating each other since June 2023. The duo are often seen together, especially cheering each other on at different tournaments across the globe.

Most recently, the ATP star watched Badosa compete at the Qatar Open 2024 from the stands. Badosa notably suffered a second-round loss to Leylah Fernandez in Doha. She then traveled to Dubai for the city's WTA 1000 event but retired hurt midway through her first-round match against Switzerland's Lulu Sun.

On the other hand, Tsitsipas is in Mexico defending his Los Cabos Open title. On Thursday, February 22, he booked his berth in the semifinals after comprehensively defeating Aleksander Kovacevic 7-6(1), 6-3.

After the match, the Greek talked to the media on the court and was surprisingly asked to answer questions in Spanish. He struggled to oblige to the presenter's request and claimed that he had been unsuccessful in learning the language because his girlfriend Paula Badosa usually talks in Catalan.

"Paula speaks only Catalan around me so it’s been difficult. It’s her native language," Stefanos Tsitsipas joked.

Badosa lives in Barcelona, which is the capital city of Spain's autonomous community Catalonia.

However, Tsitsipas in the end promised the Los Cabos crowd that he would strive to learn Spanish as some of his team members conversed in the language.

"From time to time you know, certain members of the team, otherwise it’s mostly Catalan. Guys… I'm trying. I'll try harder," he added.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas to battle against Casper Ruud for a place in Los Cabos final

Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Norway's Casper Ruud with a spot in the Los Cabos 2024 final up for grabs.

Ruud has notably entered the final four with crushing victories over Marcu Giron and Nuno Borges. After receiving a bye in the opening round, Ruud annihilated the challenge from Giron 6-1, 6-0 in the second and thumped Borges 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

Moreover, Tsitsipas and Ruud's head-to-head tally hangs in balance at 1-1. However, it has been more than 30 months since the duo last competed on the court.

The two first locked horns in May 2021 in a Round of 16 match at the Madrid Open. Casper Ruud drew first blood as he secured a 7-6(4), 6-4 win. Stefanos Tsitsipas responded only a few months later in August at the Canada Open with a 6-1, 6-4 victory.