Tennis has once again brought everyone’s attention to cross-cultural respect and the consequences of players’ public statements and reactions.
The 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals are going on. Team USA player Taylor Townsend’s comments on Chinese food sparked heavy backlash and once again drew comparisons to past controversies with Paula Badosa and Magda Linette, who also faced criticism in China for racially insensitive actions.
Taylor Townsend’s Comments on Chinese Dinner Buffet Sparked Criticism
During Team USA’s trip to Shenzhen for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, Taylor Townsend shared some Instagram stories where she expressed her surprise at the local cuisine. At a team dinner before the quarterfinals, she openly criticized dishes like sausages, bullfrogs, turtles, chicken gizzards, and animal lung, saying she couldn’t believe they were served as food.
The clips… pic.twitter.com/N1oRU084kC
— Gaby S. (@gabyserrar) September 16, 2025
Seeing the backlash, Townsend quickly posted an apology. “There’s no excuse, there are no words. For me, I just have to be better. I’m really, really thankful to my country for giving me the opportunity to represent them and to grow from this. That’s all I can do. So I just truly apologize,” she said.
Recent Tennis Controversies Linked to China
China’s place in world tennis has been complicated. In late 2021, Peng Shuai accused former Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of s*xual assault, which forced the WTA to suspend tournaments in China for two years. By 2023, both the WTA and ATP brought events back to China, hoping to move forward.
Paula Badosa’s Racial Gesture
In 2024, Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa, who is also playing in the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, faced backlash during a tournament in China after posting photos on social media that were seen as racially insensitive.
After losing at the semifinal of the China Open, she reportedly posted a photo where she was accused of mocking a Chinese face by pulling her eyes wide with chopsticks. It upset both local fans and the tennis community. Criticism came online immediately, and Badosa later issued a public apology for her actions.
yeah… not cool https://t.co/IDBtxgkg1c pic.twitter.com/hynzImuLi4
— h3/4p (@3quarterprofile) October 6, 2024
“We weren’t even imitating Asian people. I was playing around with my face and wrinkles,” Badosa wrote. “Really sorry didn’t know this was offensive towards racism. My mistake. I take full responsibility. These mistakes will make me learn for next time. Hope you understand,” she added (via The Guardian).
Magda Linette’s Controversial COVID Remark
Polish tennis player Linette faced criticism in 2024 after posting about her trip to Wuhan, where she made a controversial reference to the COVID pandemic. She shared a photo of her train ride on X with the caption, “The virus database has been updated,” (translated from Polish). She quickly deleted the post after the backlash.
Magda Linette causes controversy after commenting about the virus ahead of Wuhan Open.
Many Chinese fans demand action from the WTA regarding this matter. pic.twitter.com/tjLfP52HWV
— Eane (@funtennisfan) October 3, 2024
Later, Linette got a hostile reception from the local crowd when she played Liudmila Samsonova in Wuhan. However, she managed to win the game and later tried to apologize.
During her post-match interview, Linette took the mic and said, “Can I just say, I know I offended some of you guys.” But the interviewer interfered with her and asked her to talk about her performance.
Awkward on-court post-match Linette interview in Wuhan after her “virus database has been updated” post
byu/jovanmilic97 intennis
“Thank you so much for being still so nice to me, so thank you so much,” Linette later added. However, the interviewer didn’t translate her apology. Instead, the crowd was apparently told in Chinese, “She said thank you. That’s all from us today. The game is over.”
WTA’s Strict Warning to All Professionals
Following such controversial and potentially racial remarks, WTA CEO Portia Archer sent an email to WTA players, warning them. As per The iPaper, Archer wrote:
“Tournaments and countries host us as their guests at considerable effort and expense, and it is of absolute importance to respect the local culture of the regions we compete in, all of which make our global Tour a success.
Distasteful content of any kind (such as images, references, text, video) relating to the culture, history, or hurtful stereotypes of a group of people or a region is inconsistent with the values the WTA represents and will not be tolerated.
Not only do such harmful actions generate negative coverage and reflect poorly for the athlete, but they also impact women’s professional tennis as a whole, with negative effects on the hard-working team and staff that organize WTA events. These actions can also pose a risk around the entire tournament, with security, transport, and other areas all put in potential jeopardy.”
Archer later added, “There is no place for this in the WTA. I will take action and responsibility for holding all of us accountable to the standards of the Code.”
Incidents like those involving Townsend, Badosa, and Linette not only hurt their reputations but also strain goodwill between players, countries, and tournament hosts. As representatives of the sport, tennis players are expected to show cultural respect and sportsmanship off court as well.
