Tennis star Paula Badosa has issued an apology to fans after she sparked controversy with an 'offensive' pose in a social media post.
On Saturday afternoon, Badosa suffered defeat in the semi-finals of the China Open at the hands of American star Coco Gauff - who went on to win the tournament.
In the aftermath, Badosa's coach - Pol Toledo - posted on Instagram with a collection of pictures from their time during the tournament.
One picture showed Badosa sat at dinner and performing a gesture with a pair of chopsticks held up to her face and her eyes squinted.
It lead to some users on social media claiming that Badosa had performed a racist gesture. Toledo has since deleted the post.
Now, Badosa has come forward and apologised to her supporters before insisting that she was not 'imitating Asian people' in the photo.
In a comment on Instagram, she wrote: 'I never thought it could be interpreted in this way. We weren't imitating Asian people, I was playing with my face and wrinkles. I love Asia and I have many Asian friends.'
Then, Badosa replied to a post about the incident on X, where she said: 'I didn't know that this was offensive or could mean racism, I'm very sorry.
'I take full responsibility and it was a mistake. These mistakes will make me learn for next time. I hope you understand... I love you all'.
Badosa recently admitted that she was told to stop playing tennis by doctors last year after suffering a number of injury setbacks.
The former world No2 endured a difficult 2023 that saw her miss the Australian Open due to an adductor injury before she pulled out of the French Open with a stress fracture of her back.
Badosa rushed back to play at Wimbledon, but was forced to retire in the second round prior to taking an extended break from the sport.
She has since battled back and was able to make the quarter-finals of the US Open before being knocked out by home favourite Emma Navarro.
Badosa now has to be more selective with the tournaments that she plays, and she skipped the Olympics to turn her attention to the hard-court season ahead of the US Open.
Her strategy has paid off as she has picked up valuable ranking points in Washington and Cincinnati earlier this year.
She continued her fine form when she won a New York exhibition event dubbed US Open Mixed Madness - and £250,000 in prize money - alongside her boyfriend and fellow tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas.
