Tennis player Ostapenko apologizes for calling opponent 'uneducated'

Jelena Ostapenko has publicly apologized for calling her opponent Taylor Townsend "uneducated" and "uneducated" after her defeat in the second round of the 2025 US Open.

Jelena Ostapenko had to apologize for calling her opponent " uneducated " - Photo: REUTERS

Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko lost 0-2 (5-7, 1-6) to American opponent Taylor Townsend in the second round of the 2025 US Open. After that match, Townsend revealed to the press that Ostapenko (former French Open champion) called her "classless" and "uneducated".

This has caused outrage among the media and fans, who have criticised the attitude of Ostapenko, currently ranked 27th in the world . Former world number one Naomi Osaka commented: "Ignorance is one of the worst things you can say to a black tennis player."

In response to the backlash, Ostapenko apologized on Instagram: "Hello everyone, I want to apologize for some things I said during my second round singles match at the US Open. English is not my native language, so when I talked about education, I was just talking about what I think is tennis etiquette. Nothing else.

I apologize for the words I used that may have offended many people off the tennis court. I appreciate the support as I learn and grow as a person and a tennis player. Goodbye New York and I look forward to returning next year."

According to American press reports, the incident occurred at the end of the match when the two players met to shake hands.

Ostapenko angrily criticized Townsend for not apologizing after scoring a lucky point due to the ball "climbing the net". According to Ostapenko, in situations like that, all players will "apologize" to their opponents and that is "common sense" in tennis.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tay-vot-nu-ostapenko-xin-loi-vi-mang-doi-thu-la-vo-giao-duc-20250831045554128.htm