Ostapenko Apologizes for Controversial Remarks to Townsend at US Open

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko issued a public apology on Saturday for comments made to American Taylor Townsend following their intense second-round match at the US Open on August 27. The altercation arose after Townsend defeated Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1, leading to a heated exchange at the net.

After the match, Ostapenko criticized Townsend for not apologizing for a net cord incident, where Townsend’s shot clipped the net but remained in play. During their exchange, Ostapenko reportedly told Townsend, who is Black, that she had ‘no education’ and ‘no class,’ remarks that sparked accusations of racial undertones.

Ostapenko later addressed the incident on social media, stating, ‘I wanted to apologize for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match.’ She added that English is not her first language and expressed that her comments were meant to reflect tennis etiquette rather than any offensive intent.

Townsend expressed that she was unaware of Ostapenko’s apology when she held her own news conference on Saturday. She acknowledged the apology, saying, ‘That’s nice that she did that, that she apologized. I mean, that’s fine. That’s cool.’ However, she also pointed out that Ostapenko had not personally reached out to her.

‘At the end of the day, I think that it’s a learning lesson for her,’ Townsend continued. ‘You cannot push your expectations on other people.’ During an earlier news conference, Townsend remarked that she did not feel the incident had racial implications, but acknowledged the stigmas within the community about education.

Ostapenko’s comments had drawn criticism from several figures in the tennis community, including Naomi Osaka, who stated that such words are among the most detrimental to a Black athlete in a predominantly white sport. Townsend is moving on in the tournament, set to compete in the fourth round against Barbora Krejcikova after her doubles match win alongside partner Katerina Siniakova.

As the saga unfolds, Townsend remains focused on her performance and looking to make her mark in this year’s tournament.