- Paula Badosa sparked controversy on the networks after making an ‘offensive’ pose
- The Spaniard made a gesture with chopsticks after her defeat at the China Open
- He has since insisted that he was not “imitating Asians” in his apology.
Tennis star Paula Badosa has apologized to fans after she sparked controversy with an “offensive” pose in a social media post.
On Saturday afternoon, Badosa suffered a defeat in the semifinals of the China Open at the hands of American star Coco Gauff, who went on to win the tournament.
Subsequently, Badosa’s coach, Pol Toledo, published a collection of photographs from his time during the tournament on Instagram.
One image showed Badosa sitting eating dinner and gesturing with a pair of chopsticks in front of her face with her eyes half-closed.
This led some users on social media to claim that Badosa had made a racist gesture. Toledo has since deleted the post.
Tennis star Paula Badosa has apologized to fans after she sparked controversy by posing with a pair of chopsticks and closing her eyes in a social media post.
The Spaniard claimed she “didn’t know this was offensive” in her online post to her followers.
Now, Badosa has come forward and apologized to her followers before insisting she was not “imitating Asians” in the photo.
In a comment on Instagram, she wrote: ‘I never thought it could be interpreted this way. We weren’t imitating Asians, I was playing with my face and my wrinkles. I love Asia and have many Asian friends.’
Badosa then responded to a post about the incident on X, where he said: ‘I didn’t know this was offensive or could mean racism, I’m so sorry.
‘I take full responsibility and it was a mistake. These mistakes will make me learn for next time. I hope you understand… I love you all.’
Badosa recently admitted that doctors told him to stop playing tennis last year after suffering several injury setbacks.
The former world No. 2 endured a difficult 2023 in which she missed the Australian Open due to an adductor injury before withdrawing from the French Open with a stress fracture in her back.
Badosa rushed back to play at Wimbledon but was forced to withdraw in the second round before taking an extended break from the sport.
Badosa suffered defeat in the semifinals of the China Open before the controversy broke out
She has since recovered and was able to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open before being eliminated by local favorite Emma Navarro.
Badosa now has to be more selective with the tournaments she plays and skipped the Olympics to focus her attention on the hard-court season before the US Open.
His strategy has paid off, as he has earned valuable ranking points in Washington and Cincinnati earlier this year.
She continued her excellent form when she won an exhibition event in New York called US Open Mixed Madness, and £250,000 in prize money, alongside her boyfriend and fellow tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas.