Paula Badosa sends touching message to Emma Raducanu as Brit turns 23

Paula Badosa sent a sweet birthday message to Emma Raducanu via social media. She shares shares a close friendship with Raducanu on tour.

Both players missed out on qualifying for the WTA Finals this year. While Badosa ended her season in Beijing, Raducanu last competed at the Ningbo Open in October.

The Brit turned 23 on Thursday, November 13, and received a warm message from Badosa. The Spaniard affectionately called her “Emmita” and encouraged her to always be herself.

"Happy B'day Emmita, Keep being you," #scorpiogang

Paula Badosa wishes Emma Raducanu via Instagram - Image Source - @PaulaBadosa Instagram

Badosa made a good start to the season by reaching the semifinals in Melbourne. She also reached the last 16 in Miami and the quarterfinals in Berlin.

Meanwhile, Raducanu raised her level by making the last eight in Miami. She also reached the semifinals of the Citi Open, but lost to Anna Kalinskaya in a close encounter.

Badosa has spoken about her relationship with Raducanu in the past. She could relate with the constant pressure the Brit faces early in her career.

"With her, honestly we spoke a lot. We had chats even off court. We went for lunch, for breakfast. We spoke a lot about how tough it is to deal with all these expectations – especially in her case. I had a little bit the same on my career. Especially when you feel that anything you do, it’s going to be crazy on social media. In her case it’s like that,” Paula Badosa said via WTAtennis.com

The head-to-head record between Emma Raducanu and Paula Badosa is poised at 1-1. Badosa beat the Brit in Washington last year, while Raducanu won their earlier meeting at an ITF event in Bolton in 2019.

"I think she's dealing with it pretty well now. She's found a balance. It's never going to be easy in her case because, as I say, anything she does, it's going to get crazy. But it's part of it. I think she has to find the beautiful part of it. That's what I'm trying to find also. It's nice that we can share our own experiences." she added

Emma Raducanu almost achieved her goal of being seeded at the Australian Open this year

Emma Raducanu at the 2025 Wuhan Open - Day 4 - Source: Getty

Emma Raducanu has made a significant improvement in her performances this year. Apart from a quarterfinal appearance in Queen's Club, she reached the third round in Melbourne, New York and Montreal.

The Brit had wished to be among the seeded players at the Australian Open next year. With the season coming to an end on the WTA side, she has almost achieved her goal.

"My goal for the coming weeks is to try to be seeded at the Australian Open. I will do everything I can to achieve that. The higher my ranking is, the better," said Emma Raducanu before the Wuhan Open in October "You might have better chances of advancing in the draw, but you can still be seeded and play against the best players quite early in tournaments. There's also an element of luck, but you have to do your best in all situations to increase your chances."

Raducanu is currently ranked 29 in the latest WTA Rankings. She's merely 100 points behing her next four rivals, Sofia Kenin, Marta Kostyuk, Dayana Yastremska and Paula Badosa.

If the youngster manages to perform well in Brisbane and Adelaide, she will be among the seeded players in Melbourne next year. Raducanu has yet to announce her next tournament appearnace on tour.

Edited by Aman Mohamed