There is no love lost between Clara Tauson and Paula Badosa following their Miami Open meeting as the Dane suggested that she didn't know what was the Spaniard's issue with her before suggesting that she probably wasn't liked very much by her rival.
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In the Miami third round, No. 10 seed Badosa overcame 20th-seeded Tauson 6-3 7-6 (3). But before getting the job done in two sets, the Spanish tennis star required two treatments for a back issue - and since one of those medical timeouts took place in the middle of a game - that only added to the tension.
It is not a secret that going for drop shots is one of the most frequently used tactics when a rival is physically struggling. And after the Dane pulled off a successful drop shot in the second set, Badosa seemingly took an exception with that and sarcastically applauded.
While the chair umpire tried to convince Tauson that the No. 10 seed was only acknowledging her great shot, the 22-year-old wasn't buying into that.
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Tauson: Badosa obviously thought it was wrong, can't do anything about that
"The referee just thought she said 'well played' to me, but I'm almost 100 percent sure she didn't say that. I don't know why I should not be allowed to make a drop shot just because she was injured. I don't quite know what it has got to do with me, but she obviously thought it was wrong. I can't do anything about that," the Danish tennis star said after the match.
Tauson acknowledged that she had an admirer in Badosa but remained adamant that she didn't do anything wrong to this year's Australian Open semifinalist.
"I don't think she's my biggest fan. I don't really know why, because I haven't done anything to her," the world No. 23 added.
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Meanwhile, Badosa didn't even get to the court for her Miami round-of-16 match as her lingering back injury forced her into a walkover.
