NEW YORK — Jelena Ostapenko apologized on social media Saturday, three days after telling American Taylor Townsend that she had “no class” and “no education” following their second-round match at the US Open.
Townsend, who is Black, and Ostapenko, who is from Latvia, had an intense back-and-forth after Townsend won in straight sets Wednesday. After their match, Townsend said Ostapenko berated her for not apologizing for a net cord and then used insulting language and questioned Townsend’s intellect and character.
Ostapenko’s words sparked accusations of racism, with Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka among those who publicly defended Townsend. Osaka called what Townsend reported Ostapenko saying “one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority white sport.”
Ostapenko wrote on her Instagram story Saturday, “I wanted to apologize for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match. English is not my native language so when I said education I was speaking only about what I believe as tennis etiquette, but I understand how the words I used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court.
“I appreciate the support as I continue to learn and grow as a person and a tennis player. Goodbye New York and I look forward to being back next year.”
Townsend said she was unaware of the apology when she began her news conference after her doubles victory Saturday. She smiled while listening to a reporter read Ostapenko’s post aloud.
“That’s nice that she did that, that she apologized. I mean, that’s fine. That’s cool,” Townsend said, adding she has not personally heard from Ostapenko. “At the end of the day, I think that it’s a learning lesson for her. Again, like I said when everything first happened, you cannot push your expectations on other people. That’s ultimately what happened.”
Townsend added: “I really hope from this she can take that, hey, you can’t control people and it’s better just to focus on yourself.”
Townsend was asked Wednesday whether she thought there were racial undertones to Ostapenko’s comments and said she “didn’t take it that way,” but acknowledged, “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, who upset No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva on Friday night to reach the US Open round of 16 for the first time since 2019, said she received countless messages of support from friends and players and would continue to stand up for her values.
Townsend will play in the fourth round of singles Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
