Paula Badosa has yet again made the headlines in the tennis world! However, it’s not for her tennis skills this time. Fans have accused Badosa of a seemingly racist gesture toward Asians. Perhaps she was trying to imitate Chinese people by posing with chopsticks in the picture clicked by her coach. This picture later went viral on social media and some fans even labeled it as a bit insensitive and “disgusting“.

Badosa played quite well in this tournament this year. She defeated the likes of Jessica Pegula and Zhang Shuai on her way to the SF. Paula Badosa didn’t even lose a set en route to the SF. However, in the SF, the American superstar, Coco Gauff, handed her a swift defeat by 4-6,6-4,6-2. After exiting from the China Open, Paula Badosa even shared a heartfelt to her team, family, and friends for their constant support. She tweeted, “That’s what life is all about. Lucky to be where I am today. It’s a gift. Thank you to everyone who is on this boat with me.“

She added, “There are times that are managed better and others worse… I continue to learn from each one of them. I continue to rise from each situation. I remain proud of each step forward.”

Next up for Badosa is the Wuhan Open! She’ll take on Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in her first match. However, before that match, the controversial moment when Paula Badosa was seen at the dinner table having dinner with her team after the China Open had raised a few eyebrows.

It all started with an IG post from her physical trainer, Pol Toledo. He posted some photos to share a few glimpses of their memorable moments during their stay in the city. In one of those pictures, Paula Badosa was reportedly seen using chopsticks to pull her eyelids back, as if to imitate the slanted eyes of the South East Asian peoples. Amid this controversy, Toledo has deleted that post. However, fans have come out in numbers to take a jibe at the Spanish tennis player.

Fans condemn Paula Badosa’s distasteful actions in Beijing

We don’t know if Paula Badosa did that knowingly or unknowingly. Nevertheless, the gesture invoked some ugly reactions from fans as they saw it as racism towards the Asian community. One fan tweeted, “So disgusting, and nothing could explain this!“

Previously, both Badosa and her boyfriend, Stefanos Tsitsipas, were spotted embracing Chinese culture and traditions. For example, Tsitsipas wrote, ‘7784‘ on the camera lens after his victory against Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the first round (R64) of the Shanghai Masters. When asked about the meaning of that message, he said, “Signing with my Chinese nickname.” He elaborated that 7784 is pronounced as ‘qi-qi-ba-si‘ in the Mandarin language. However, seeing his girlfriend’s recent gesture, some fans wrote, “omg, obviously there are racist but are they also totally out of touch or what?? They are mocking their hosts while IN China.“

Nevertheless, we saw Paula Badosa display classy gestures during the Chinese event and even saying hello in Chinese after she arrived in Beijing. Shortly after her arrival, she shared a few photos on her IG account, captioning, “Ni hao” which means ‘hi‘ or ‘hello‘ in Chinese. Then after, defeating the Chinese WTA star Zhang Shuai in the QF of the China Open, Badosa shared a message with her Chinese opponent. She said, “She’s amazing as a person, you can see the level today also. I’m really happy for her because I know she went through very tough times but it shows how much of a fighter she is…it’s great to have a tennis player like her.”

Paula Badosa might have won a few hearts with her previous gestures towards the Chinese community and the player. However, this time, her actions faced quite a few backlashes. Some even drew a comparison of Saudi Arabia’s strict rules and regulations while sharing their comments on Badosa’s controversial gesture. “Imagine players doing disrespectful stuff like this while in Saudi Arabia and learning real quick how the World works… insane to do this at all, and especially while IN China.“

Some fans felt that she might not have fully understood the real meaning of her gesture and that her intentions perhaps were fully pure. “Now everything is racism. how intense people are, everything bothers them. Surely everyone is perfect. They are happy venting their frustrations with Paula,” wrote a fan who observed the entire ordeal.

The common sentiment went against her as evidenced by many reactions. Another user tweeted, “The people jumping to her defence by saying it is an innocent joke are just as racist as her. But they already know that anyways.” Different people, different opinions! Although, people taking aim at Paula Badosa outnumber her supporters, still, what are your own thoughts on this controversial issue?