Paula Badosa erases all traces of heated argument with fans after landing in hot water for reigniting her China Open racism controversy
Paula Badosa has removed every trace of a long and heated argument she recently had with tennis fans. The argument was over the Spaniard seemingly joking about a racism row that erupted in the aftermath of her 2024 China Open campaign.
Badosa's 2024 season has been one of resurgence. The former World No. 2 endured a torrid 2023, primarily due to recurring injuries, and even in the early stages of the current season, she struggled to complete her matches. However, things radically improved as the year went on.
At the 2024 China Open, Paula Badosa reached the semifinals but was ousted by Coco Gauff. Not long after, Pol Toledo, Badosa's coach, shared a photo of the Spaniard featuring her pulling back her eyes with a pair of chopsticks. This did not go down well with several fans, who claimed that Badosa was making fun of Asian facial features.
The 26-year-old, who faced severe backlash, apologized. She even tried to make amends via further social media posts to showcase her love for Asians. The controversy eventually died down, but recently, it resurfaced, and it was all Badosa's own doing. And once again, Toledo was at the center of it.
The coach shared a heartfelt post lauding Paula Badosa for her resurgent 2024 campaign. It came in the wake of the Spaniard announcing that she would not be playing any further WTA Tour-level tournaments this year due to health issues that saw her retire mid-match during her Ningbo Open semifinal clash against eventual champion Daria Kasatkina.
Badosa shared the post via her Instagram Story and poked fun at Toledo, playfully thanking him for not getting her into trouble again. Soon, the racism controversy was back at the forefront, with fans aiming at Badosa for allegedly being insensitive despite issuing an apology after the initial incident.
This time though, the former World No. 2, instead of rendering another apology, lashed out at fans on X (formerly Twitter), accusing them of bullying her on social media.
Recently, it came to light that Paula Badosa has completely deleted her side of the argument, which she voiced through multiple posts on X. Furthermore, the Spaniard has locked her X profile. after the criticism that has come her way over the alleged racism.
Badosa had initially apologized for her alleged act of racism via both Instagram and X.
"My mistake, I take full responsibility" - Paula Badosa after first facing backlash over alleged racism
Paula Badosa remained briefly silent after she became the subject of criticism initially following her China Open campaign. However, she soon broke her silence. In a comment on Instagram, the Spaniard wrote:
"Oh no please don't get it that way. Never thought it would get interpreted this way we weren't even imitating Asian people. I was playing around with my face and wrinkles. I love Asia one of my favorite people and have plenty of Asian friends. They are the kindest."
The former World No. 2 also took to X and stated:
"Hey guys! Really sorry didn’t know this was offensive towards racism. My mistake. I take full responsibility. This mistakes will make me learn for next time. Hope you understand…. I love you all."
However, without any clear explanation, Badosa later deleted the apology she posted on X. Tennis-wise, the Spaniard has said that her goal is to recover in time to feature for Spain at the Billie Jean King Cup at the beginning of next season.