“It’s competition, people get upset when they lose, and some people say bad things,” said Taylor Townsend. All Hell broke loose after Townsend thrashed Jelena Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1 in the second round of the US Open.
Ostapenko claims her opponent was disrespectful because she had a net ball in a very deciding moment and didn’t say sorry.
After securing a victory, the 29-year-old walked up to Ostapenko for a handshake, but things went south as the 28-year-old started insulting her, saying she has “no education” and “no class”.
Explaining what happened in her post-match interview, this is what Townsend said: “She told me I have no class, I have no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the US. I’m looking forward to it. I beat her in Canada outside the US, so let’s see what else she has to say.
“I didn’t back down because you’re not going to insult me, especially after I carried myself a certain type of way with nothing but respect.
“If I show respect to you, I expect respect as well. That’s just the fact of the matter. I think that that’s tennis. It was unfortunate, but it’s something I can put on my TikTok.”
A few hours later, Ostapenko posted her side of the story on Instagram as she still stands by her claims and believes Townsend showed unsporting behaviour.
“I told my opponent that she was very disrespectful as she had a net ball in a very deciding moment and didn’t say sorry, but her answer was that she doesn’t have to say sorry at all.
“There are some rules in tennis which most of the players follow and it was [the] first time ever that this happened to me on tour. If she plays in her homeland it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants.”
Townsend was not impressed with her opponent’s post, saying: “I think it’s comical. To then go online and have to justify what you said, you obviously feel some type of way and feel like you have to give an explanation for how you acted.”
The Latvian tennis player has since faced backlash on social media, with some fans accusing her of being racist.
Townsend was asked during her post-match interview if she felt the comments made by her opponent were racist. She replied: “I’m very proud as a black woman being out here representing myself and representing us and our culture.
“I make sure that I do everything that I can to be the best representation possible every time that I step on the court and even off the court.
“So I can’t speak on how she felt about it. That’s something that you’re going to have to ask her. I didn’t take it in that way, but also, that has been a stigma in our community of being not educated and all of the things when it’s the furthest thing from the truth.”
This is not the first time Ostapenko has let her frustrations get the better of her. In 2022, she was fined £8,400 for “unsportsmanlike conduct” at Wimbledon after venting her anger on a chair and a water bottle following her loss to Tatjana Maria.
Taylor Townsend will not let this shift her focus as she is preparing for the third round, where she will face Mirra Andreeva on Friday.
