"Simply faked an injury": The tennis player who managed to infuriate the tour
Paula Badosa faced harsh criticism after retiring while trailing heavily in the Iasi tournament final, but won another tournament two days later: "Refused to take a loss"
Paula Badosa is in the midst of a massive storm. The Spanish tennis player, who retired from the final of the Iasi tournament while trailing 6:4, 4:0 against Mayar Sherif, has faced a wave of harsh criticism in recent days after returning to play just two days later and winning two matches at the Hamburg tournament.
Badosa, who was previously ranked second in the world and has since dropped to 93rd place, explained immediately after retiring that she was unable to continue:
"I am a player who is always honest and sincere. I hate this moment. I hate losing a final, and I am sorry that it happened this way, but my body simply could not handle it."
However, her quick return to the courts raised many doubts among tennis fans. "Badosa is playing today, and this proves that she was not injured at all in the final in Romania. She simply did not want to suffer a straight-sets loss against Sherif," one user wrote.
Another added: "I was not impressed that she retired two games before the loss, only to win in the first round of another tournament two days later." Another fan quipped: "Just a reminder that four days ago she was 'very injured'."
On the other hand, there were also those who tried to calm the flames. Tennis commentator Jon Horn claimed that Badosa did not suffer from an injury at all, but from a stomach issue. "True, perhaps she could have finished the last two games, but it is important to clarify that she did not retire due to an injury," he wrote on social media.
Ironically, in the quarterfinals of the Hamburg tournament, Badosa will meet the same Sherif who defeated her in the Iasi final. For the Spaniard, this will be an opportunity to silence the critics with a victory, but another loss or another retirement could only intensify the criticism against her.
