Source: Clive Brunskill / Getty
Tennis players are known for berating umpires or destroying rackets after a heated match, but Jelena Ostapenko took things even further.
In the second round of the U.S. Open, 26th-ranked Ostapenko lost to 139th-ranked American Taylor Townsend in two sets (7-5, 6-1).
After the match, the two met at the net for the customary handshake, but that went awry when they got into a heated back-and-forth.
Video shows Ostapenko with her fingers in Townsend’s face as the conversation continues at her bench. It’s hard to make out what they’re going back and forth about, but toward the end, you can hear Townsend say, “You can learn how to take a loss better,” before flashing a big smile and walking away.
Then, in her post-game interview with ESPN, she explained what set off the argument.
“Yeah, I mean, you know, it’s competition,” Townsend said. “People get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things. She told me I have no class, I have no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S., so I’m looking forward to it. I mean, I beat her in Canada, outside the U.S. I beat her in New York [inside] the U.S., so let’s see what else she has to say.”
Townsend is a Black woman, and the comments on her lack of class were widely viewed as racist, but she’s choosing to give it no energy when asked about the racial undertones.
“I didn’t take it in that way, but also, you know, 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,” Townsend responded. “So whether it had racial undertones or not, that’s something she can speak on. The only thing that I’m worried about right now is continuing to move forward through this tournament.”
Ostapenko later went to social media to explain her side of the situation, saying her outburst was triggered by Townsend’s refusal to apologize after a net ball, which is a common courtesy in the tennis world. When she approached Townsend about her being “disrespectful,” she reportedly told her, “She doesn’t have to say sorry at all.”
Ostapenko followed it up by saying that since Townsend is playing in her homeland, she thinks she can act how she wants.
Later, Ostapenko —who’s Latvian— started getting labeled racist and returned to social media, attempting to clarify her comments.
“Wow how many messages I received that I am a racist. I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn’t matter where you come from. There are some rules in tennis, and unfortunately, when the crowd is with you, you can’t use it in a disrespectful way to your opponent,” she wrote. “Unfortunately for me coming from such a small country I don’t have that huge support and a chance to play in homeland. I always loved to play in the U.S. and US OPEN, but this is the first time someone is approaching the match this disrespectful way.”
Anyway, she’s headed home while Townsend is off to the third round of the 2025 U.S. Open, to face off against Mirra Andreeva.
See social media’s reaction below.
