"Digging yourself a bigger hole";"Huge disappointment" - Fans furious with Paula Badosa as Spaniard doubles down on 'joking' about racism controversy

Paula Badosa has come under fire from fans for putting up a staunch defense of herself in the wake of being criticized for bringing back her racism controversy by seemingly joking about it. Badosa's response to the initial criticism was an elaborate one, through which she suggested that she was being incessantly bullied for doing something that didn't warrant any objection.

The entire racism row surrounding the former World No. 2 started in the aftermath of her semifinal loss to Coco Gauff at the 2024 China Open. Pol Toledo, Badosa's coach, had shared some pictures, one of which featured the Spaniard pulling her eyes back using chopsticks. Several fans perceived it as Badosa mocking South Asians over their facial features.

Amid fierce criticism, the 2021 Indian Wells champion issued an apology. However, later, she also proclaimed her innocence in social media interactions with her supporters. Recently, Toledo took to Instagram and shared a post lauding Badosa over her commitment and dedication to tennis. Badosa re-shared it via an Instagram Story and poked fun at Toledo by writing:

"Thank you for not posting a picture that gets me in trouble this time"

This was later shared on X (formerly Twitter) and did not go down well with many fans, who once again started criticizing Badosa, this time, for apparently having the nerve to joke about her initial racist post with the chopsticks. The Spaniard soon responded, and via series of posts, suggested that the critical fans were bullying her.

"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," Badosa wrote.

"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," she added.

These posts irked fans further, who wasted little time in airing their harsh opinions over them.

"Please be for real bringing it up again is only digging yourself a bigger hole. everyone already knows you're an a**hole, no need to add more fuel to the fire," a fan wrote.

"Oh Paula....A huge disappointment," commented another fan.

"Me when I give a half-a**ed apology n then play victim for the next week," another chimed in.

"It’s hard to take your apology seriously when you deleted it a day after and only responded to comments saying you did nothing wrong. now you’re even joking about your racism controversy, your coach wouldn’t have got you in trouble if you hadn’t done it in the first place," stated one fan.

Another set of fans poked fun at Badosa's relationship with Stefanos Tsitsipas. Earlier this year, Tsitsipas himself faced flak over sharing a video that seemingly glorified gender stereotypes, even though he himself did not agree with the criticism he received.

"I can see why her and Stef are a match made in heaven now, one braincell between them," wrote one fan.

"And the brain cell is just a ball being hit back and forth," another replied to the previous fan.

"Let us pray Paula and Stef are doubling up on these because I do not think the world is ready for one of their offspring yet," the first fan weighed in, adding the picture of a pack of condoms.

Tennis-wise, Badosa has declared the end of her 2024 season after suffering another injury setback during the recently-concluded Ningbo Open.

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Paula Badosa expressed her pride over resurgent 2024 season; stated her intention to recover in time for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Paula Badosa (Source: Getty)

In the semifinals of the Ningbo Open, Paula Badosa squared off against eventual champion Daria Kasatkina. However, soon after losing the first set 4-6, she took a medical timeout and was eventually unable to continue. She retired from the contest, and later took to Instagram to announce that she would be taking no further part in the 2024 season. The Spaniard also voiced her pride over her results this year.

"Because of health issues I wasn't able to play yesterday and won't be able to play Tokyo unfortunately. My 2024 season has ended. Has been a very long season where I overcame situations I thought they were impossible. I'm very proud of myself," Badosa wrote.

"I'm back where I wanted to be and where I was aiming since my comeback. (one of the best players in the world again) Already looking forward to recover well and prepare to represent my country in Malaga for BJKC. Thank you for the support always. See you soon," she added.

Badosa is currently ranked World No. 14, but her ranking is likely to dip before the season comes to its conclusion, especially if the players immediately below her in the WTA Tour rankings perform well in the remaining tournaments.