Dubai, Feb. 18 -- Former world number two Paula Badosa has responded to claims she is "disrespectful to the game" following her withdrawal from a match in Dubai.
The Spaniard beat Katerina Siniakova 6-3 7-5 at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday before a right thigh issue forced her to retire from the match against Elina Svitolina on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old, who retired from four matches last year, was 4-1 up against Svitolina but lost the first set 6-4 and then, having called for treatment, withdrew, according to BBC sport.
A social media user accused Badosa of being "disrespectful to the game" as "you cannot retire/withdraw from every tournament". "You have no idea what it's like to live with a chronic injuryand still choose to k...