Paris, the City of Love, became the City of Tennis Conflict this past week. The Olympic arena – the Stade Roland Garros – became a crucible of drama, with heated exchanges between players like Iga Swiatek, Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro, and Qinwen Zheng. But watching from afar, Paula Badosa, ever the keen observer, has been keeping up with the “drama,” as she said so herself.

The Spaniard may be at the Citi Open, but Badosa has been taking time out to catch all the action in Paris. And the spicy aftermath of matches, too. Therefore, when asked about Navarro, against whom she won in the Round of 64 at the Italian Open, Badosa said, “Oh my God, she’s on fire after my match. I gave her confidence,” she cheekily said, adding, “No, it’s been surprising results. But it’s fun to watch. Especially in women’s tennis now, anything can happen. Also, I’m following the drama that’s happening with Iga, Collins, Emma Navarro.”

For context, after a thrilling three-setter in the third round of the Olympics, the American lost 6-7, 7-6, 1-6 to Qinwen Zheng. It was one of the best matches both Navarro and Zheng have played this year, so it deserved a respectful conclusion. But while shaking hands at the net, things got controversial when Navarro accused her Chinese opponent of not being a “respectable player.” Discussing the incident in her post-match press conference, Navarro revealed, “I just told her I didn’t respect her as a competitor… I think she goes about things in a pretty cut-throat way.”

In a sport like tennis, where there can be only one winner, it’s important to be cut-throat. It’s like the advertisement Qinwen Zheng made with Nike before the Olympics. “Should I look happy when I’m not? Should I smile when I lose? If I don’t hate being second, how will I ever be first?” the Chinese star says in it. Following the match, Zheng even requested Navarro to be more confrontational about the issue. Badosa observed it, and when asked about it, she smiled and said, “I will not comment. There’s some that have their own reasons [for acting the way they do], but I’m not going to say who.” 

Although the former World No. 2 didn’t explicitly say who she was referring to when she said that last bit, it was pretty clear who she meant. As for Emma Navarro, she further commented on Zheng’s attitude on the court: “It makes for a locker room that doesn’t have a lot of camaraderie, so it’s tough to face an opponent like that, who I really don’t respect.” That said, this wasn’t the only controversial exchange that happened this past week. Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins also had a heated discussion at the net during their quarterfinal match in Paris.

It all began when Collins had to retire after the third set of the match owing to dehydration and cramps. When they shook hands, Swaitek congratulated the American on a successful career, considering Collins is retiring at the end of the season. However, the Pole’s reaction frustrated the American player, who then said, “I told Iga she didn’t have to be insincere about my injury… I don’t really feel like anybody needs to be insincere. They can be the way that they are. I can accept that, and I don’t need the fakeness.” There was more.

In the third-round clash between Coco Gauff and Donna Vekic, the American argued with the chair umpire after a controversial call by a linesperson. However, Jaume Campistol awarded the point to Vekic and Gauff couldn’t hold back her tears. She crashed out of the Games in the clash, with social media divided by the ordeal. Although Paula Badosa refrained from directly commenting on these situations (even though it looked like she’d chosen her side based on her cheeky response), the Spaniard is usually one to speak her mind. That’s precisely what she did during the French Open, taking a dig at Swiatek.

Badosa thinks “lucky” Swiatek shouldn’t complain about loud crowds

Lately, Swiatek has found herself at the center of criticism more than ever. Even during the French Open, she asked the loud crowd to maintain their composure after her clash with Naomi Osaka, which landed her in another controversy. While the Polish player managed to win over the former World No. 1, she struggled to win the hearts of the French audience, many of whom stayed quiet in her corresponding matches. Badosa did not agree with her complaints either.

During a press conference, she added, “I think she cannot complain because I played Court 8 and 9 and you can hear everything. Like I can hear Suzanne Lenglen, Philippe Chatrier, Court 6, 7 during the points. I think she is very lucky she can play all the time on Philippe Chatrier and she is okay with that. But I don’t mind.” 

The former World No. 2 mentioned how the loud cheers do not bother her much as she has become used to hearing so much noise. Instead, her focus remains on herself and her game. Furthermore, she elaborated on the positive impact of fan support, which “pumps” her up to perform better. While we might not get a clear idea about whom she supports in the ongoing drama, her comments can give us a pretty good hint about her choice!