Tennis Controversies of the Week: Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff hit out at haters after China Open campaigns; Paula Badosa accused of racism against Asians, and more

WTA tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff spoke out against critics following their respective 2024 China Open campaigns. In other news, Paula Badosa came under fire for her seemingly racist gesture toward Asians during the China Open.

Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev stood firm in his criticism of the quality of tennis balls being used at the Shanghai Masters. Badosa defended herself and her doubles partner Karolina Muchova against criticism after withdrawing from the China Open doubles event.

Also, Zheng Qinwen and Mirra Andreeva received flak over their cold handshake at the net during the China Open quarterfinal.

On that note, here's a recap of the top controversies from last week:

Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff fire back at critics after China Open campaigns

Naomi Osaka expressed frustration after an online troll labeled her a "fluke." Osaka had recently retired during her Round of 16 match at the 2024 China Open due to a lower back injury while playing against fourth seed Coco Gauff.

On Threads, Osaka responded to a troll by emphasizing her career achievements, making it clear that the person could never come close to matching her success.

"I just saw someone call me a fluke. How is it possible to be a fluke with 4 grand slams, lighting the Olympic torch, beating multiple top 20 opponents and being close to top 50 the year after giving birth? Foh, you couldn't even touch one of my accomplishments with your fingernail," Osaka wrote.

Coco Gauff, on the other hand, addressed her critics after securing a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Karolina Muchova in the China Open final, marking her first WTA 1000 title of the year. Of her seven prior titles, four were from WTA 250 events, along with one Grand Slam, one WTA 1000, and one WTA 500 title. Gauff won the ASB Classic in Auckland earlier in the year but hadn’t reached a singles final since.

Following her eighth WTA singles title win in Beijing, Gauff couldn’t resist taking a swipe at her critics. The American tennis star posted a picture of her China Open trophy on Instagram, accompanied by a message for those who doubted her ability to win tournaments beyond the WTA 250 level.

""sHe OnLy wInS 250s" Well.. WHOMP WHOMP," Gauff wrote.

Screengrab from Coco Gauff's Instagram/@cocogauff

World No. 6 Coco Gauff will now make her debut at the Wuhan Open. The fourth-seeded American received a bye into a second round, where she will take on either Ashlyn Krueger or Viktoriya Tomova on October 8.

Paula Badosa faced backlash over allegedly racist gesture toward Asians during China Open

Paula Badosa has faced backlash after a gesture she made during the China Open was perceived as racist toward Asians.

Following her semifinal appearance in Beijing, where she lost 6-4, 4-6, 2-6 to eventual champion Coco Gauff, Badosa's physical trainer, Pol Toledo, shared several photos on Instagram showcasing their time in the city.

One of the images showed the Spanish tennis star using chopsticks to pull her eyelids back, imitating the slanted eyes associated with Southeast Asians.

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Daniil Medvedev reiterated criticism of the quality of tennis balls being used at the Shanghai Masters

Daniil Medvedev once again voiced his displeasure with the quality of tennis balls being used at the Shanghai Masters following his 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 29th seed Matteo Arnaldi in the third round.

This followed his earlier complaints during his second-round victory against Thiago Seyboth Wild, where the Russian tennis star called for the supervisor during the first set to complain, saying the balls were unfit for professional play and were "destroyed" after just five games.

After defeating Arnaldi to advance to the fourth round, Medvedev took another jab at the ball quality.

"Nice Balls," Medvedev signed the camera.

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When asked if players were adjusting to the ball quality in a post-match on-court interview, Medvedev said no one was making changes but noted that the balls favored power hitters like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

"I don’t think anyone is changing. I think it basically favors people who can benefit power from dead balls. Some have better quality with this. Some don’t, " Medvedev said.

"Actually the two best players at doing this.. they’re already the best players in the world.. and I’m sure they would be without the balls, but with these balls.. they’re the only players who can generate crazy power. It’s Jannik and Carlos. It gives them an extra edge," he added.

The fifth-seeded Russian tennis star will take on either 10th-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexandre Muller in the Round of 16 on October 8.

Paula Badosa fired back at backlash over China Open doubles withdrawal with partner Karolina Muchova

Paula Badosa and her doubles partner, Karolina Muchova, faced criticism from their former opponent, Irina Khromacheva, after giving a walkover to Veronika Kudermetova and Chan Hao-ching in the second round of the China Open doubles event.

Badosa and Muchova had started their campaign with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Khromacheva and Anna Danilina, but they withdrew from the next match after both reached the fourth round in singles.

Khromacheva expressed frustration over their withdrawal on social media, criticizing the WTA's "completely crazy" rules allowing singles players to also compete in doubles.

In response, Badosa recently clapped back at the criticism, revealing that Muchova’s right wrist injury was the reason for their withdrawal, as confirmed by an image posted on X.

"People judge without fully understanding anything. It's brutal," (translated from Spanish).

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In singles, 15th seed Paula Badosa and unseeded Karolina Muchova were defeated by Coco Guff in the semifinal and final, respectively.

Paula Badosa and Karolina Muchova will now participate in the Wuhan Open. The 14th-seeded Spanish tennis star will take on Ajla Tomljanovic for a spot in the second round, where she could face either home favorite Wang Xinyu or Caroline Dolehide.

The Czech tennis star, on the other hand, will take on Moyuka Uchijima for a spot in the second round, where she could face either Leylah Fernandez or 12th seed Diana Shnaider.

Zheng Qinwen and Mirra Andreeva drew criticism for their cold exchange during the China Open QF

Zheng Qinwen and Mirra Andreeva faced criticism for their frosty handshake at the net following the former's 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 win over the latter in their quarterfinal clash at the China Open, which lasted two hours and 32 minutes at Beijing's National Tennis Center.

A photo of their post-match handshake quickly circulated on social media, with some fans questioning why WTA players struggle to maintain sportsmanship after matches, unlike their male counterparts, and show more grace in defeat.

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Fifth seed and home favorite Zheng Qinwen advanced to the semifinals, where she lost 3-6, 4-6 to eventual runner-up Karolina Muchova on October 5.

Zheng Qinwen and Mirra Andreeva will now participate in the Wuhan Open. The fifth-seeded Chinese received a bye into the second round, where she will take on either Camila Osorio or Jaqueline Cristian on October 8.

The Russian tennis star, on the other hand, will take on Wang Xiyu for a spot in the second round, where she could face either Dayana Yastremska or elder sister Erika Andreeva.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer