Paula Bados caused a stir on social media, referring to the incident in which she was accused of racism, and then got into a sharp quarrel with her critics.
It’s easy to forget that Badosa enjoyed the perfect few months on the WTA Tour before the event that led to several tennis fans around the world condemning her and trainer Pol Toledo.
After a difficult 12 months due to injury, Badosa won her first title in over two years at the Citi DC Open after an exciting fight in three sets with Marie Bouzkova in the semi-final.
Then she reached the Cincinnati Open semi-finals, the US Open quarter-finals and the China Open semi-finals. She had a chance to win a set and double break against Coco Gauff at China Open, but was eventually defeated.
Nevertheless, Badosa would undoubtedly feel great with her tennis level, but the controversial photo provided by her trainer Toledo on Instagram led to anger directed against the Spaniard.
The photo that was removed showed Badosa using chopsticks to squint her eyes, which is often an offensive gesture towards Asians.
Badosa finally apologized, but it was also removed, which makes it doubtful whether the apology of this year’s Citi Open champion was honest or just aimed at alleviating criticism.
The 26-year-old recently announced that she is finishing the season prematurely due to health problems. Her trainer, Toledo, then published a post on Instagram celebrating her achievements in 2024.
Surprisingly, Badosa referred to racism controversy by sharing Toledo’s post on her Instagram and jokingly thanked her trainer for not publishing anything that could get her in trouble this time.
„Thank you for not publishing a photo this time that will get me in trouble ”
Many fans thought that one should not make fun of this incident, and the condemnation of the Spaniard began again. This led to Badosa’s furious reaction, who accused his critics of being tormentors and told them to go further.
„Do you know me to say such things? Who do you think you are to judge me without even knowing anything about me? I think it is more about you than me. If you knew me at least 1%, you would know that I am a person who tries to find humor in negative things ”
„Because people like you bring too much negativity to this world, I try to reverse the situation. Because all this bullying is crazy and funny. The story ended when I left and apologized and took full responsibility. I’m going further. Jezu.”
Badosa also said that fans in China still treated her well and believes that criticism she received on social media is unacceptable.
„It’s really tiring to see constant hatred and criticism on social media. I had a problem, YES. But then people and fans in China treated me amazingly. Because they UNDERSTAND that people may be wrong, they recognized it and improved it to be better next time and have another chance ”
„It really hurts me because I’m not that kind of person and it hurts me that unknown people talk about me that way. It’s really crazy and unacceptable. I never even pay attention or answer it. But that’s enough. ”
