Paula Badosa shows her love for China amid controversy following alleged racist gesture & continued pushback from fans
World No. 15 Paula Badosa has shown her love for China after receiving backlash for an image shared by her trainer on social media. She was accused of being racist for gesturing with chopsticks in a local restaurant.
Badosa is set to compete in the Wuhan Open this week after a strong performance in the China Open. She defeated Zhang Shuai and Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, but fell short against Coco Gauff in the final. The American defeated her in close encounter, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The 26-year-old posed for the camera while expressing her admiration for the people of China. She wanted to show her love for the country after being misunderstood for a perceived racist gesture.
Here is the post shared by Badosa on her Instagram account:
Badosa is known for her vibrant energy on social media and is often spotted sharing snippets of her journey on tour. She faced backlash from tennis fans worldwide when her trainer, Pol Toledo, shared a photo that was perceived as mocking Asian people
Here is the controversial picture shared by Badosa's trainer.
While fans interpreted the post as racist and disrespectful, Badosa explained that she was joking about her own wrinkles using the chopsticks and has always admired Asian culture.
"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," Badosa wrote on her X account.
Paula Badosa will take on Ajla Tomljanovic in R1 of the Wuhan Open
Paula Badosa will take on Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round of the Wuhan Open on Tuesday, October 8. She leads the head-to-head against the Australian 2-1 but lost their most recent encounter in the 2022 Cincinnati Open.
While Badosa is entering Wuhan on the back of a semifinal run in Beijing, Tomljanovic was eliminated in the first round by Camila Osorio. Despite a valiant effort against the Colombian, she came up shy in three-sets, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
With a week to prepare for the Wuhan Open, Tomljanovic opted to participate in the ITF Hong Kong 125 event. To her credit, she secured an amazing title-winning run in the event, outfoxing Clara Tauson in the finals, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
The Australian will be eager to present a stern challenge to the in-form Badosa in the Wuhan Open. The winner of this match will take on Wang Xinyu in the second round.