"Paula Badosa might objectively be the worst person on the tour" - Fans call out Spaniard for 'lack of awareness' after racism controversy drags on

Several fans criticized Paula Badosa after she humorously thanked her fitness coach, Pol Toledo, for posting her "non-controversial image" in light of her China Open controversy. In a previous post linked to the China Open, Badosa was accused of racism.

Badosa began her China Open campaign in Beijing nearly two weeks ago, delivering an impressive performance that carried her to the semifinals. However, her run ended there after a loss to the eventual champion, Coco Gauff.

During Badosa's time in the Chinese capital, her fitness coach, Pol Toledo, shared several photos of her on Instagram. In one of the images, the Spaniard was seen pulling her eyes back with a chopstick—a gesture fans deemed offensive and racist. As a result, the 26-year-old faced widespread backlash, leading to the image being removed from the post.

Badosa recently withdrew from the Japan Open, citing health issues, and announced the conclusion of her 2024 season. Toledo later shared a photo of her on Instagram, capturing her from behind as she waved to the crowd on the court.

"You truly deserve every success that comes your way @paulabadosa," he wrote (translated from Spanish).

Badosa shared the post on her Instagram story, captioning it:

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

A fan on X later questioned Badosa for joking about her controversial picture.

"idk maybe i'm obsessed but is it appropriate to joke about your racist photo? Is it really funny?😵‍💫 Especially when your apologizing tweet looked like "sorry, not sorry"...," they wrote.

Several fans later criticized the Spaniard's actions, with one fan calling her the "worst player" on tour.

"Paola Badosa might objectively be the worst and the stupidest person on the women’s tour - I am not kidding," they said.

"She has no self awareness at all," a fan commented.

"like girl just think for a second pls... her moves are so chaotic," another wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from the fans:

"The lack of self awareness is incredible. Her beauty alone can excuse this but at the same time what the fuck lol like stop you dummy," a fan said.

"She is so stupid like truly the lights are on but nobodies home," another said.

"Her replies under this tweet💀💀💀this woman never learned💀," one wrote.

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"Really sorry didn’t know this was offensive towards racism": Paula Badosa following the controversy

Paula Badosa speaks on the controversy - Source: Getty

Amid the allegations, Paula Badosa clarified that she wasn’t imitating Asian people but was simply playing around with her face. The 26-year-old added that some of her favorite people are from Asia, describing them as the kindest.

"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," she wrote on a now deleted X post.

In another now-deleted post on X, the Spaniard apologized for her actions, stating she hadn’t realized they would be considered offensive.

"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."

After her China Open campaign, Badosa withdrew from the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan. Despite reaching the semifinals at the Ningbo Open, she retired after losing the first set to Daria Kasatkina.