Paula Badosa’s season this year has been a mixed bag. After reaching the semi-finals at the China Open, she faced Coco Gauff. And although Paula started strong, leading with 4-2 in the first set, she ultimately lost the match with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. And, subsequently, she withdrew from the Wuhan Open. But as she is enjoying some time off the sport, Badosa came across something on social media today that put a smile on her face.

One can say the attractive genes run strong in Badosa’s family! Taking to X, TennisHYPEMedia shared images of Paula’s parents, Mireia Gibert and Josep Badosa, from their modeling days. The post read, “I mean Paula Badosa’s parents are former models. Plus, the unique earrings with a tennis racket on top have been designed by Paulita herself. I believe these will become widely available to fans soon.”

As she came across her parents’ images, Badosa gushed with pride as she wrote back, “Mami & papi,” along with the heart-eye emoji. She added a hint to the latter part of her reply saying, “Yes… very soon!” It might be regarding the availability of her jewelry line that she has been teasing for some time.

In May 2024, Badosa gave a teaser of this potential launch on her Instagram story, stating, “Sneak peek of one of my latest projects… My own earring designs are coming out soon.” And while her main inspiration stems from her parents; both former models who instilled in her a love for fashion, the former No. 2 also revealed in an interview with Elle Spain, that her inspiration for fashion and business also comes from none other than Maria Sharapova.

“I’m guided by Maria Sharapova. She has made a very good transition from the track to business, and that’s something I would love to achieve when I retire. She’s a mentor, an ambassador for many brands, she shares life experiences,” Badosa said, expressing admiration for Sharapova’s successful transition from tennis to business. Badosa hopes to follow a similar path when she retires.

Coming back to Badosa’s recent showings in the sport, while she had a good run at the China Open, it all went downhill for the Spaniard as she came under fire for a controversial social media post ahead of the Wuhan Open. She, subsequently, had to withdraw from Wuhan, although gastrointestinal illness was cited as the official reason for her withdrawal.

The combination of these events has left fans wondering how Badosa will now bounce back in the remaining part of the season.

Will Paula Badosa redeem herself from the backlash?

What started as a positive outlook for Paula Badosa quickly turned sour after her loss at the China Open. Currently ranked No. 15, Badosa was set to face Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in her first match at the Wuhan Open. However, as excited as she was about going ahead in the tournament, she called in sick and withdrew from the competition at the last minute.

Coincidentally, this occurred after her physical trainer, Pol Toledo, posted an image of her at dinner, where she was holding the chopsticks up to her boys. The fans swiftly called her out for that, as it led to a rapid backlash online. Badosa has since addressed the incident in a comment on the same post. She clarified that the image was misinterpreted and that she never intended to offend or imitate Asian people. “I was just playing around with my face and wrinkles. I love Asia, some of my favorite people are Asian, and I have plenty of Asian friends. They are the kindest,” she stated.

Although the clarification was quick, the outrage continued. Since then, Badosa hasn’t played any match and she now must tackle the challenge of bouncing back. Badosa will be seen at the Ningbo Open next, where she will face last year’s runner-up, Diana Shnaider, in her next match.

The stakes are high for Badosa. Not only does she need to focus on her performance, but she also has to work on mending relationships with fans who feel wronged by her actions.