Jelena Ostapenko has denied accusations that she is racist after exchanging remarks and gestures with the American tennis player Taylor Townsend after their second-round match at the US Open tennis championship.
Taylor Townsend won by 2-0 (7:5, 6:1) and after the match the two got into a verbal confrontation and pointed fingers.
Jelena Ostapenko later accused her rival of disrespect and unsportsmanlike behavior over a situation in which the American did not apologize for a point won at a crucial moment in the match, when the ball hit the net – something that is a tradition in tennis.
The Latvian tennis player even published two posts on Instagram about this occasion, which she later deleted.
“Wow, I get so many messages saying I’m racist. I’ve never been racist and I respect everyone in the world, it doesn’t matter to me where you come from. There are some rules in tennis and unfortunately when the crowd is with you you can ignore them and be disrespectful to your opponent. I come from a small country and I can’t count on such support and a chance to play in my home country. I’ve always loved playing in the US and the US Open, but this is the first time I’ve had someone treat me in such an unsportsmanlike way”, the first post of Jelena Ostapenko reads. “She was very disrespectful when the ball hit the net and she won a point at an important moment and didn’t make a gesture of apology. Her response was that she had nothing to apologize for. Playing in her home country in no way gives her the right to behave however she wants”, added Jelena Ostapenko in her second post.
Taylor Townsend celebrated her victory over the 25th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko on court, but she didn’t pay much attention to her opponent’s words.
“This is a competition, people get upset when they lose and some of them say bad things. She told me I had no class, I wasn’t educated and I’ll see what happens when we play outside the United States. I’m looking forward to it. I beat her in Canada, which is outside the United States, let’s see what else she has to explain”, said the American in her on-court interview after the match.
