Paula Badosa sent a sweet message to her friend and rival, Emma Raducanu, after ending her season due to ongoing injury problems. The Spanish star has had a stop-start year marred by physical issues, and she recently returned from a three-month injury layoff, only to face another setback.

After retiring from the China Open in Beijing, Badosa announced that she would be shutting down her season. And the world No. 18 has now thanked Raducanu for being there during a difficult period.

Raducanu was also in action in Beijing. The British No. 1 received a bye into the second round as a seeded player and beat Cristina Bucsa before blowing three match points against Jessica Pegula to lose 3-6 7-6(9) 6-0.

After losing in the third round, Raducanu took to Instagram to share some photos from her time in Asia so far, having also competed at the Korea Open in Seoul.

The post caught Badosa's attention, and the Spaniard took the opportunity to send a touching message to her friend and rival. "Such a cutie. Thanks for listening to me," she wrote, adding a heart emoji and a hugging icon.

Raducanu and Badosa have a strong friendship and regularly catch up away from the tennis court.

Before facing off in Washington last year, Badosa said: "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 of the same in 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."

And it appears that the 27-year-old has been confiding in Raducanu again after being forced to end her season early. Badosa announced the news on social media after retiring from her third-round match in Beijing.

"There are times when I ask myself how I manage to keep going through the toughest, most painful moments. And the truth is, it's in those exact moments that I discover the deepest strength inside me," she wrote.

"Every setback hurts, but it also reminds me how badly I want to fight, how much I want to come back stronger.

"I wouldn't be able to do this without the people who continue to support and believe in me. Your support carries me when things get heavy, and your faith gives me courage when doubt creeps in.

"There is truly no greater feeling than walking onto a tennis court and seeing you all there, standing behind me. That energy, that love. It's something I can never thank you enough for. No matter how many obstacles come my way, I promise you this: I will keep fighting, I will keep pushing, and I will keep finding my way back. See you in 2026."

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