"Paula Badosa doesn't want her racist a** to get booed";"Good riddance" - Fans react to Spaniard's Wuhan Open withdrawal amid racism controversy

Tennis fans have continued to voice their discontent towards Paula Badosa. The latest wave of discussion surrounding the Spaniard stems from her unexpected withdrawal from the Wuhan Open. While the former World No. 2 has cited illness as the reason behind her decision to not feature at the prestigious WTA 1000 event, many are speculating that it is because of the backlash she faced over a seemingly racist picture.

In the aftermath of Paula Badosa's loss to eventual champion Coco Gauff in the semifinals of the recently-concluded China Open in Beijing, the Spaniard's coach Pol Toledo shared a photo dump. One of the pictures there featured the World No. 15 striking a pose with chopsticks in her hands and squinting eyes, presumably at a Beijing restaurant.

This picture did not go down well with the majority of tennis fans, who accused the former World No. 2 of being racist. The relentless criticism forced Toledo to remove the picture from his Instagram, and Badosa herself proceeded to render two apologies; one on Instagram and the other on X (formerly Twitter).

Not long after, the Spaniard confirmed that she would be playing no part at the Wuhan Open due to a gastrointestinal illness. However, the development surprisingly came hours ahead of her first-round match at the WTA 1000 tournament against Ajla Tomljanovic. Paula Badosa was later replaced in the main draw by lucky loser Lucia Bronzetti.

One section of fans continued to slam Paula Badosa following her Wuhan Open withdrawal, suggesting that she is afraid of being booed because of her racism row.

"She doesn’t want her racist a** to get booed," a fan wrote.

"Didn't want any smoke with the crowd. I trust they would've booed her every move and that can be mentally taxing. Good riddance," commented another fan.

"Wuhan’s fans will not be silenced, she’s scared," yet another chimed in.

A few fans also poked fun over the development.

"She hurt her eyes with that pair of chopsticks “probably”," wrote one fan.

"100% ran away (laughing emoji). Good choice," another added.

"Doesn’t look like gastroenteritis to me. She posted this on Instagram 17 minutes ago," weighed in another.

Badosa meanwhile, took one more step to profess her love for China amid incessant criticism.

Paula Badosa posed in front of giant panda model and used symbols to seemingly win back the trust of Asian fans

Paula Badosa in action at the 2024 China Open (Source: Getty)

Even after apologizing for the first time, Paula Badosa could not put a stop to fans talking negatively about her. In a bid to presumably convince them that she is not racist, the Spaniard posted a picture of herself on her Instagram Story.

This particular picture featured the former World No. 2 striking a pose with a smiling expression in front of a giant panda model. Badosa also added symbols to the post in the form of a heart emoji, the flag of China and a panda emoji.

Six WTA Tour-level tournaments across China and Japan are set to be played out following the conclusion of the Wuhan Open. Paula Badosa is yet to confirm where she will feature next.