Paula Badosa has caused a stir on social media by referencing an incident that saw her accused of racism before getting into a heated argument with her critics.
It is easy to forget that Badosa was enjoying an excellent few months on the WTA Tour before the event that led to several tennis fans worldwide slamming her and coach Pol Toledo.
After enduring a difficult 12 months beforehand because of injuries, Badosa won her first title in over two years at the Citi DC Open after a thrilling three-set battle against Marie Bouzkova in the semifinal.
That was followed by reaching the Cincinnati Open semifinal, US Open quarterfinal, and China Open semifinal. She had chances to go up by a set and a double break against Coco Gauff at the China Open but was ultimately defeated.
Nonetheless, Badosa would undoubtedly have been feeling great about her level of tennis, but a controversial picture shared by her coach Toledo on Instagram led to much anger being directed at the Spaniard.
The picture, since deleted, showed Badosa using chopsticks to make her eyes squint, something that is often done as an offensive gesture against Asian people.
Badosa eventually apologized, but that was also deleted, making it questionable whether this year's Citi Open champion's apology was sincere or only meant to temper the criticism coming her way.
The 26-year-old recently announced that she was ending her season early due to health issues. Her coach, Toledo, then made an Instagram post celebrating her achievements in 2024.
Surprisingly, Badosa referenced the racism controversy by sharing Toledo's post on her Instagram stories and jokingly thanked her coach for not posting anything that would get her in trouble this time.
"Thank you for not posting a picture that gets me in trouble this time."
Many fans did not feel the incident should be joked about, and the condemnation of the Spaniard started again. That led to a furious response from Badosa, who accused her critics of being bullies and told them to move on.
"Do you know me to say all this kind of things? Who do you think you are to judge me without even knowing anything about me? I think this proves more the person you are than me. If you knew me a 1% you would know I’m the kind of person that tries to find humor on negativity."
"Because people like you are bringing to much negativity on this world so I try to turn the situation around. Because all this bullying is insane and it’s ridiculous. The story was finish when I came out and apologize and took the entire responsibility of it. Move on. Jesus."
Badosa also claimed the fans in China still treated her well afterward, and believes the criticism she has received on social media is unacceptable.
"It's really tiring to see constantly hate and criticism on this social media. I had an issue, YES. But after that people and fans in China treated me amazing. Because they UNDERSTAND people can be wrong, recognize it and correct to be better next time and have another chance."
"It really hurts me cause I'm not that kind of person and it hurts me that unknown people talks about me that way. It's really insane and unacceptable. I never even pay attention to it or answer. But enough is enough."
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