"Shameful stuff, I’m lost for words" - Fans accuse Paula Badosa of seemingly racist gesture against Asians during China Open stay

Paula Badosa has come under fire from fans on social media after one of her gestures during the recently-concluded China Open has been seen as racist against Asians. Accusations of racism have been targetted at the Spaniard, with fans also calling for action against Badosa for the act.

Badosa reached the semifinals at the China Open, losing to eventual champion Coco Gauff. Up next, she will be in action at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open along with the rest of the tour.

Following the end of her run in Beijing, Badosa's physical trainer, Pol Toledo, posted a series of pictures on Instagram, as a glimpse into his time in the city during the tournament. One of the pictures was of the former World No. 2 putting chopsticks over her eyelids, which many fans interpreted as an attempt to mimic the eyes of South East Asians.

For those unaware, the depiction is today seen as racist and offensive towards Asians, with many popular brands and companies in the Western world caught apologizing for knowingly or unknowingly entertaining the stereotype.

Paula Badosa engaging in such behavior, therefore, sent the tennis world into a tizzy, with fans unanimously asserting that she should have known better than to mock Asians based on their appearance.

"Yea she sucks.. and what a shock that all these racist women have some ambiguous problem w Qinwen," one fan wrote.

"I’m not assuming the worst of her intentions but… i don’t find it funny or innocent to make fun of appearance on the basis of race. There’s a long and violent history of this particular kind of mocking and it’s not without tangible repercussions," another fan added.

"100% agree. Doesn’t matter what her intentions were. You don’t do or post that sh*t, period," one user felt.

While fans admitted that she might have not fully understood the historical implications of what she was doing, they were still of the opinion that she and her team should have thought more before putting such a photo out into the public domain.

"Badosa is genuinely stupid. This is so f**king embarrassing. Did she and her one brain cell think before making this public? Shameful stuff I’m lost for words. Racism has no place in 2024. She needs held accountable for this," one fan wrote angrily.

"This tour just pisses me off more and more every day," another user commented.

"Yeah well that's racist as f**k," one fan tweeted.

At the same time, Badosa also had a minority group of defenders, who felt the act was not intentional and should not be held against the Spaniard.

"Babes most Europeans are not up to date with what acts are or aren’t racialy sensitive. Most people don’t mean to come off as insensitive," one fan wrote.

"There’s no problem with it. You’re not even Chinese. Stop being offended for something that the Chinese wouldn’t be," another chimed in.

Paula Badosa opening Wuhan Open campaign against Ajla Tomljanovic

2024 China Open - Day 13 - Source: Getty

On the tennis side of things, Paula Badosa will be opening her campaign at the 2024 Wuhan Open against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic. The Spaniard is seeded 14th in the tournament.

A potential third-round clash against second seed Jessica Pegula awaits the former World No. 2, followed by a likely semifinal against either third seed Jasmine Paolini or fifth seed Zheng Qinwen. In the top half of the draw, World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka is the favorite to reach the final.