"English isn't my native" - Jelena Ostapenko blames Taylor Townsend racism controversy at US Open on language barrier; sends emotional apology

Jelena Ostapenko issued a public apology for the verbal spat that unfolded with Taylor Townsend on Wednesday at the US Open. Following a 7-5, 6-1 loss in the second round, the Latvian clashed with Townsend and said that she had "no education" and "no class", which sparked a racism controversy.

Townsend later stated that even though she is not sure if Ostapenko's comments were meant to be racist, she thought of it as being suggestive of the stigma around black people being uneducated. On August 29, she scored a remarkable victory over Mirra Andreeva to progress to the fourth round of the tournament.

Ostapenko, who had earlier clarified that she was not racist with her comments, issued an emotional apology via Instagram on Saturday. She addressed how her words might not have come out correctly, as English is not her native language, but still took accountability for the action.

"Hi all - 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," she wrote.

Screenshot via @jelena.ostapenko on Instagram, dated August 30, 2025.

Naomi Osaka also sided with Taylor Townsend and criticized Ostapenko's comments on the American.

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Taylor Townsend recalls incident that taught her to be intolerant to disrespect

Taylor Townsend, during the press conference after her second-round match at the US Open, recalled a past event that led her to never tolerate disrespect. She narrated the story of a Challenger 50 event in Charlottesville many years ago, where the opponent behaved poorly with her and made 'nasty' comments.

Townsend said:

"There [were] no ball kids. There [were] no ball people. And girl was slapping balls to the third and fourth court. I have to go walk and get the balls. And, you know, I ended up winning and, you know, said some really, like, nasty things. And again, it was one of the things where I'm like, I'm just not gonna tolerate disrespect. You're not gonna disrespect me in my face."

The 27-year-old is gearing up to face two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova in her first fourth-round match at the US Open since 2019.