Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa has issued an apology after facing accusations of racism over a photo that seemed to depict her pulling her eyes back with chopsticks during her visit to China for a series of tournaments.
Following her loss in the semi-finals of the China Open on Saturday, Badosa's coach, Pol Toledo, shared the photo on his Instagram, tagging the official China Open account. The post quickly drew a flood of comments accusing Badosa of racism. The 26-year-old, who was once ranked No 2 in the world, quickly responded, urging people not to interpret the photo as intended.
"We weren't even imitating Asian people," she wrote. "I was just playing around with my face and wrinkles." She further stated, "I love Asia... and have many Asian friends. They are the kindest." Toledo later removed the photo from his Instagram account.
Before her appearance at the Wuhan Open on Tuesday, Badosa apologized on social media. "Really sorry, I didn't know this was offensive or related to racism," she wrote. "My mistake. I take full responsibility." She expressed hope that people would understand and said she would learn from her mistake.
Badosa, currently ranked No 15 in the world, later withdrew from the Wuhan event due to a gastrointestinal illness. She did not respond to a request for comment from the Guardian.
This incident marks the second time Spanish athletes have faced accusations of racism while in China. Prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Spanish basketball federation released an advertisement featuring the men's team with players pulling at the sides of their eyes. After similar photos were published by the women's basketball team and the Spanish tennis federation, basketball star Pau Gasol apologized, blaming a sponsor for insisting on the gesture.
"It was just a bad idea to do that. It was never intended to be offensive or racist against anybody," Gasol said in 2008. "If anyone feels offended by it, we totally apologize for it."
