Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko has issued a public apology via Instagram following controversial remarks made to Taylor Townsend after their second-round US Open match earlier this week.
The 2017 French Open champion faced widespread criticism after telling the American player she possessed "no class" and "no education" following her straight-sets defeat on Wednesday.
In her social media statement posted on Saturday, Ostapenko attributed the incident to linguistic misunderstanding.
"Hi all - I wanted to apologise for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match, she wrote.
Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko has issued a public apology via Instagram following controversial remarks made to Taylor Townsend after their second-round US Open match earlier this week
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"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."
Jelena Ostapenko posted the apology on her Instagram story
|The apology acknowledged that her choice of words had caused offence beyond the tennis community.
The Instagram post prompted mixed responses from tennis enthusiasts across social media platforms.
Several supporters defended Ostapenko's explanation, with one fan commenting: "I might be the only person who quickly understood that by education she meant tennis etiquette."
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The Latvian tennis player was left fuming
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Others highlighted that Ostapenko had failed to address her "no class" remark and questioned why she would lecture the world's top-ranked doubles player about tennis protocol.
The controversy drew sharp criticism from Townsend's mother, Sheila, who characterised the remarks as racially motivated during an interview with Palm Beach Post.
"It was a racial comment what she was saying," she stated, questioning why her daughter's education would be relevant to a tennis match.
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She noted that whilst Ostapenko had displayed poor sportsmanship previously, she had never witnessed similar comments directed at white opponents.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka condemned the incident, describing it as "one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority white sport".
World No3 Coco Gauff also criticised Ostapenko's choice of words, though she suggested emotions may have influenced the Latvian's behaviour.
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Coco Gauff recently condemned Jelena Ostapenko's words
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Despite the controversy, Townsend demonstrated remarkable composure by securing a commanding victory against fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva on Friday evening.
The unseeded American triumphed in just 76 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, advancing to the round of 16 for the first time since 2019.
Following her win, Townsend addressed the crowd with an emphatic message about representation.
"It's bigger than me. It's about the message, it's about the representation, it's about being bold and being able to show up as yourself," she declared.