Paula Badosa, victim of sexist comments after the defeat of Stefanos Tsitsipás, her boyfriend

The relationship between the Catalan tennis player Paula Badosa and her Greek partner Stéfanos Tsitsipás raised a lot of expectations before the arrival of the Wimbledon tournament.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
11 July 2023 Tuesday 22:48
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Paula Badosa, victim of sexist comments after the defeat of Stefanos Tsitsipás, her boyfriend

The relationship between the Catalan tennis player Paula Badosa and her Greek partner Stéfanos Tsitsipás raised a lot of expectations before the arrival of the Wimbledon tournament. The two athletes had been in tune for some time on social networks and on the slopes, and their arrival at the All England Club was no wonder. However, once the competition began, everything went wrong. The one born in Manhattan had to retire in the second round due to injury, and now she has been attacked on social networks.

The unexpected defeat of Tsitsipás in the round of 16 against the American Christopher Eubanks has, for some reason, put Badosa in the spotlight. The Catalan has received an avalanche of criticism and sexist comments after the elimination of her partner from the grass tournament. Some have accused her of being to blame for the fall of the Greek, while others have simply dedicated themselves to insulting her for no apparent reason.

"Your career is over since you started with Stefanos", "Stefanos has written this caption" or "Betancourt before, now the Greek, everything except tennis. Retire once and for all" are some of the incendiary comments that the company has received. number 35 of the WTA ranking. Others also took advantage of the occasion to take advantage of a cramp that Tsitsipás suffered at the press conference table, after her elimination: “Was Badosa under the table? Jesus Christ…".

Insults to couples of athletes who lose, fail or simply have a problem are more common than they should be. Another example of someone who had to endure insults for something similar is Edurne. The singer saw how her social networks were filled with insults and harassment in relation to her partner, David de Gea. The reason was the penalty that the goalkeeper missed in the 2021 Europa League final, and which gave Villarreal the first major title in its history.

"And once again, today it is shown that there is a lot to be done in society to fight against machismo," the artist commented on her Twitter profile after what happened. Along similar lines, the use of social networks has also been placated to the defeat of Tsitsipás, but with a vexatious message, also directed towards Badosa. In response to the final result of the round of 16 duel, a user attacked the Greek tennis player and his partner: "Paula Badosa excess plus Instagram excess equals elimination from Wimbledon."

The double loss of Wimbledon is a major setback for both. In the case of Tsitsipás, for falling before the most crucial phases against a little-known tennis player. And in Badosa's, not only for having returned from an injury but for having already accumulated thirty withdrawals as a professional. "These are things that have happened to me, each one has been due to different circumstances. This year, I would say that I have not had much luck with the tear before the Australian Open and now a stress fracture," he commented.