Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reacts to fan praising her 'MEOW' tattoo that sparked controversy at the 2024 Australian Open

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reacted to a fan praising her controversial 'MEOW' tattoo, which caused her trouble at the 2024 Australian Open earlier this year.

Pavlyuchenkova, currently ranked No. 42 in the world, got her first tattoo when she was 18 years old. She now has more than 10 tattoos on her body, including a galaxy constellation, flowers, and a smiley face, among others (via sports.ru).

In January, Pavlyuchenkova faced verbal harassment from drunken spectators during her second-round match against Paula Badosa at the Australian Open. The match took place on Court 6, adjacent to a newly constructed two-level bar featuring live music and allowing spectators to move freely.

The Russian said that the visible tattoo with the word 'MEOW' on the back of her left leg was the reason behind the screaming noises from the crowd, distracting her and affecting her performance, leading to her loss in straight sets.

"There were a couple of guys, I think they got drunk and they started to scream and meow [at me], I think maybe because I have this tattoo on my leg [which reads meow] or just because of course they had some drinks and so it was really disturbing," Pavlyuchenkova said (via nzherald.co.nz)

"It was not nice, to be honest. I was really annoyed at the start of the match. I have no problem playing on the outside courts, but this one was special in terms of the noise and also the court," she added.

On Saturday, February 3, an X (formerly Twitter) user posted a picture of Pavlyuchenkova's 'MEOW' tattoo and wrote:

"best tattoo ever 😭", tagging Pavlyuchenkova.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova quoted the tweet and reacted with a 'face with tears of joy' emoji:

"😂"

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A look into Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova's performance at the 2024 Linz Open

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the 2024 Linz Open

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova’s bid for a first singles title since 2018 ended in the semifinals of the 2024 Linz Open, as she lost to top seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday.

The Russian started her campaign with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Martina Trevisan in the first round, before overcoming Katie Boulter 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the second.

In the quarterfinals, Pavlyuchenkova pulled off a straight-set upset over fourth seed Elise Mertens, who had reached the final of the Hobart International and won the Australian Open doubles title with partner Hsieh Su-wei earlier this season.

In the final, the 32-year-old faced Ostapenko, who was aiming for her eighth career title. The Latvian, who had dropped only one set in her previous two matches, was too strong for Pavlyuchenkova, ultimately defeating her in straight sets.

In the final on Sunday, Jelena Ostapenko will face second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated third seed Donna Vekic in a three-set thriller in the semifinals.