Imagine achieving something great, but having that completely overlooked because some other juicy piece of gossip is taking the limelight. 16-year-old tennis player, Sara Bejlek, won a match that got her into the US Open. She was overjoyed, however, the media was not portraying her success the way she expected. They focused their attention to the way her dad and coach congratulated her after she won. Sara decided to speak out about the media’s portrayal of the winning celebrations.
An inappropriate congratulations
Sara Bejlek has done it. She beat Britain’s star tennis player, Heather Watson, in the qualifying round of the tournament for the US Open. Not only that, after all of her competing in the past year, she made it into a grand slam. Usually, when such achievements are made, the media do not miss a chance to praise the player. In this situation, her achievements were clouded by something that America deemed “inappropriate“.
After she won the match Sara walked towards Heather Watson and shook her hand. She then went over to her father an her coach and hugged them. Both men patted her on her behind several times, which many people did not appreciate. Sara’s father can also be seen kissing her on the lips. A video of the tennis star being pat on her backside has gone viral on Twitter. Many people have retweeted the post, and commented their opinions.
People’s opinions
One person agreed with the media’s portrayal of Sara’s father and coach touching her inappropriately. “Yes this is NOT appropriate behavior by two men in the stands father should know better he basically fondled her lower body part in front of the whole world and kissed his daughter on lips ( Grossed Out ) The Tennis world needs to regulated this, My wife would have divorced me!!”
Another person mentioned that it seems “creepy” them them because they are grown men patting a teenager’s backside. “A 16 year old? Yes! That does look a bit creepy. Especially since the two grown men doing the butt patting. One is her father; and the other her coach.”
Sara speaks out
America is on a rampage about the two grown men seen patting Sara’s backside. They do not appreciate what they call “inappropriate” behavior towards a 16-year-old. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic has not even bat an eyelid. Sara spoke about the viral video in an interview with iSport, describing her father and coach’s pats as “spontaneous“. When asked if she was aware of the viral video, Sara said: “Of course, I saw the video. It was a spontaneous reaction of the whole team. We rejoiced.” She then went on to reassure everyone that the incident would not be repeated. “It may certainly seem inconvenient and uncomfortable to some,” she said “but we have already discussed it with the team. It won’t happen again.”
The interviewer then asked whether or not the media’s attention has been a distraction for the upcoming matches she has to face. She replied: “Not at all. Dad is my dad and always will be. And I’ve known the coach since I was eight years old. He tapes me, he massages me. If something similar happened in the Czech Republic, no one would deal with it. But since we are in America, everyone comments on it. But as I say, we talked and it won’t happen again.”
Sara confirms that patting women on their backsides is actually a cultural tradition in the Czech Republic. According to a tourism website, it represents good luck, almost like rubbing a Buddha statue’s belly. Additionally, it is a way in which people show affection. “If something similar happened in the Czech Republic, no one would deal with it,” said Sara BEjlek. “But since we are in America, everyone comments on it. But as I say, we talked and it won’t happen again.”
Sources
- “Czech Tennis Star Addresses Father’s Butt Pat at U.S. Open After Backlash.” Newsweek. Emma Nolan. September 1, 2022.
- “Czech tennis star addresses outrage over coach and father’s ‘beyond inappropriate’ butt pats.” The Independent. Peoni Hirwani. August 31, 2022