Stefanos Tsitsipas's lunch date with Paula Badosa ended with him being scolded for allegedly mocking his girlfriend because of her eating habits.
Tsitsipas and Badosa are the most popular tennis couple of the current generation. After a brief split a few months ago, they reunited and have not shied away from flaunting their romantic life on social media.
But they are doing it in moderation these days, with Badosa recently quoted as saying they want to keep their affair private. So, whatever little they share on the internet is always subject to scrutiny from onlookers.
Tsitsipas has close to two million Instagram followers, while Badosa has a million. The pair both exited the Wimbledon Championships. The Greek was beaten by Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round in four sets.
The Spaniard, meanwhile, fared better in the women's tournament at SW19, reaching the second week and losing to Croatia's Donna Vekic in the fourth round in three sets.
On Tuesday, they were both back in Monaco, where they reside. Tsitsipas shared on his Instagram stories the moment they headed for lunch. He jested over Badosa's eating habits and told the world he nicknamed her a "Hippo."
"It's a wonderful day here at the Principality. Paula (Badosa) is hungry, as always, so I started calling her Hippo. We're both enjoying our first days of sun and weather that doesn't disappoint. I think there are some fans behind me. Or Paula's fans? I can hear chattering. A lot of female fans."
"You are allowed to eat now as much as you want because there is plenty of walking back after. You know that your name is small and humble and you are none of those. But you are not small, you are grande."
Tsitsipas' remarks have landed him in hot water again. Just a few weeks ago, the World No. 11 received backlash over his perceived support of gender stereotypes in a video he shared on Instagram about the roles of men and women in society, which he was forced to pull down.
Several tennis fans have expressed their disapproval of Tsitsipas' latest story about "insulting" his girlfriend. One user wrote, "Today's series of Stefanos Tsitsipas Instastories, in which he mocks and insults his girlfriend Paula Badosa, are deeply uncomfortable to watch."
Another wrote, "That was a tough watch. Bro isn’t funny."
"Pro tip: Your boyfriend shouldn't call you a hippo and tell you you've earned the right to eat food because you can walk it off later. What a jac**ss."
But some fans understood it was only a playful, light-hearted moment between the two players, with one writing, "Thankfully, the majority of the comments understand that they are having fun and responding brilliantly to all the hateful comments they receive. Let them be as they wish and leave them alone if you don’t align with them."
And another slammed the user who shared the video on X, "I want to ask are you okay? If you can't read either verbal or non-verbal signs. How can this be interpreted other than as friendly jokes between two people who clearly have a good time together?"
"Y'all are definitely being too hard on Stef now. This is just nitpicking. All I see is 2 people in love who can't get enough of each other having a fun time."
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