What happened with Paula Badosa after she reignited China Open "racism" controversy? All you need to know about Spaniard's heated argument with fans

Paula Badosa has come under fire on social media again after she seemingly revived her China Open "racism" controversy. Fans found her latest comments insensitive but the Spaniard defended herself against the "bullying."

After her impressive semifinal run at the China Open, Badosa's fitness coach, Pol Toledo, posted a series of images on Instagram depicting her journey in Beijing. In one of the images, the 26-year-old pointed with chopsticks to her eyes, seemingly pulling them back, a gesture seen as mocking East Asian facial features.

In a now-deleted comment, Paula Badosa apologized, explaining that her gesture wasn’t meant to imitate any people but was her way of joking about her face and wrinkles.

"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."

However, fans were not convinced, with some calling her apology insincere. One fan labeled it "satire," while another called her "ignorant."

Though the controversy eventually settled, the Spaniard reignited it with a recent comment.

After announcing the end of her 2024 season due to injury, Toledo posted a photo of Badosa waving to fans, celebrating her season where she won her first title in two years and reentered the WTA Top 15.

Paula Badosa reshared the post on her Instagram stories with a comment that revived the old controversy, jokingly writing,

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

Fans were upset with Badosa, calling her out for joking about the incident. One fan called her "The worst and the stupidest person on the women’s tour" while another asked "Is it appropriate to joke about your racist photo?"

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Paula Badosa responds to latest backlash; engages in heated argument with fans

Paula Badosa at the 2024 China Open (Image: Getty)

Paula Badosa fired back at critics on social media, expressing frustration over being judged by people who do not know her. She emphasized that she tries to find humor in negativity and condemned the online "bullying" as "ridiculous," urging everyone to move on from the past incident.

She replied to a comment on X, writing,

"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 added:

"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."

In another comment on X, Badosa expressed frustration with the constant hate and criticism on social media, acknowledging her mistake but emphasizing that fans in China treated her well as, according to her, they understood that people can make mistakes and grow from them.

"It's really tiring to see constantly hate and criticism on this social media. I had an issue, YES. But after that people and fans in China treated me amazing. Because they UNDERSTAND people can be wrong, recognize it and correct to be better next time and have another chance."

She added,

"It really hurts me cause I'm not that kind of person and it hurts me that unknown people talks about me that way. It's really insane and unacceptable. I never even pay attention to it or answer. But enough is enough."

Despite her attempts to move on, Paula Badosa’s comments have reignited the controversy, further dividing opinions. As the backlash continues, it remains unclear whether recent events will finally put the matter to rest or pave the way for more criticism.