Jelena Ostapenko has apologized for her comments toward Taylor Townsend following their match in the second round of the U.S. Open earlier this week. After Townsend's win over Ostapenko, the two were seen engaging in a tense argument as they met to shake hands with each other at the net.
Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko got into an argument after their match at the U.S. Open 👀 pic.twitter.com/od0GwFykBd
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 27, 2025
Townsend shared shortly after that Ostapenko extended some rude comments at her during their exchange. "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," Townsend said of Ostapenko.
Ostapenko quickly took to social media after the match to explain her comments, but did not take much accountability at that time.
"Today after the match 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," Ostapenko wrote. "There are some rules in 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.”
On Saturday, Ostapenko ultimately issued an apology on Instagram for her comments.
“Hi all—I wanted to apologize for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match," Ostapenko wrote. "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.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jelena Ostapenko Releases Statement Apologizing for Behavior Toward Taylor Townsend.
