August 31, (THEWILL) — Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko has issued a public apology following her controversial comments to Taylor Townsend during their second-round match at the US Open.
The incident occurred during the post-match handshake when Ostapenko confronted Townsend about failing to apologise for a net cord shot during the first set. Ostapenko told Townsend she had “no education” and “no class” after her 7-5, 6-1 defeat to the American player.
Three days after the altercation, Ostapenko posted a statement on social media explaining that her comments related specifically to tennis manners rather than broader implications.
The 25th seed attributed her choice of words to English not being her native language, stating she was referring only to tennis etiquette when she mentioned education.
She acknowledged that her words could have offended the tennis court.
Townsend, who is Black, addressed the comments in her post-match interview and later news conference.
She described the impact of such language within the Black community, noting that accusations of being uneducated represent a harmful stereotype.
Townsend stated she did not interpret the remarks as racially motivated but emphasised that Ostapenko would need to answer for her own intentions.
Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka subsequently criticised Ostapenko’s comments, calling them among the worst things one could say to a Black tennis player in a predominantly white sport.
Osaka defended Townsend’s intelligence and work ethic while questioning whether Ostapenko understood the historical context of such language in America.
The Japanese player described the timing and target of the comments as particularly inappropriate.
Following the controversy, Ostapenko lost her doubles match with Barbora Krejčíková and withdrew from her scheduled news conference citing medical issues.
Meanwhile, Townsend continued her tournament run, winning her doubles match with Kateřina Siniaková and defeating fifth seed Mirra Andreeva to reach the fourth round of the singles competition.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
