Naomi Osaka convicted Jelena Ostapenko’s comments during her judicial confrontation with Taylor Townsend at the US Open.
The incident on Wednesday is one of the most talked about the tournament, in which Ostapenko accused the American Townsend of having no education and no class after their second round competition. The comments that Ostapenko justified as a reaction to Townsend that did not apologize for a shot that touched the net, led to accusations of racism.
Ostapenko strongly denied that on social media, while Townend also said that she did not interpret the comments that way, but Osaka gave the Latvian a verbal volley when asked about the incident.
“I think it is clearly one of the worst things that you can say to a black tennis player in a majority of white sport,” said Osaka after reaching the third round at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2021 with a 6-3, 6-1 victory on the American Hailey Baptiste. “I know that Taylor and I know how hard she has worked and I know how smart she is, so she’s furthest from unskilled or something like that.”
Ostapenko is known as one of the Feistiest characters on the Women’s Tour and Osaka added: “If you really ask me about the history of Ostapenko, I don’t think that’s the craziest thing she said. I will be honest.
“I think it’s bad and the worst person you could have said it. And I don’t know if she knows its history in America. But I know she will never say that in her life again. It was just terrible.”
Asked for the incident, Townsend hopes the attention about confrontation and its attention on it can be a positive for the US Open and Tennis in general. “If I am someone who can attract huge crowds in the stadiums as a name that people can bring to buy cards and support the game, then that is a crown that I like to wear,” said Townsend.
“Whatever it is, whatever kind of attention it is, it does the right things, what people bring to see the sport and bring people in to support and that is what it’s all about.”
When he was asked if she thought the comments had racial undertone, Townend said she didn’t take it that way, but acknowledged: “That has been a stigma in our community to be ‘not trained’ and all things, when it is the furthest of the truth.”
Even Privé said Townsend that other players came to her to put on the subject and express their support. She received thousands of followers on social media online.
“It’s cool to know that people see and people watch and more than what,” said Townsend. “I hoped it was received in a certain way, and that was it, so it was just external validation that I treated things in the right way and that is what I am most proud of and most happy with. I didn’t look for that, and in my answers and when I decided and I said and I said I was not looking for people proudly.”
Aryna Sabalenka also tackled the incident and revealed that she had spoken with Ostapenko after the row. “I have to say she is nice,” said De Wit -Russia. “She can sometimes lose control. She has a number of things in life to cope and some struggles. I just tried to help her face the lake in an adult way, try to help her settle and was just someone she could speak and just let it go.
“I really hope that one day she will find herself and that she will handle it much better. I am pretty sure that she will look back, she is not happy with her behavior.”
Ostapenko was back on the field in Flushing Meadows in the Doubles on Thursday and perhaps feared a hostile reception of the crowd, but that turned out not to be the case, with cheers instead of hunters.
The former French open champion refused to fulfill her press obligations afterwards, in which organizers quoted medical reasons.
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