NEW YORK – Taylor Townsend said she gained support from players after an on-court conflict with Jelena Ostapenko at the US Open on Wednesday when she was told that Ostepenko was “no class” and “no education.”
Townsend said on Thursday from Latvian Ostapenko that she had never heard of since her second singles fight, as she ended up not apologizing for the netcode, using insulting words and questioning Townsend’s intelligence and character.
Townsend, the world number one in Americans and doubles, met with the media on Thursday after a first round doubles victory with partner Katerina Sr. Kova. Meanwhile, Ostapenko, who lost a first-round doubles match with partner Barbora Krejcikova on Thursday, skipped the press conference citing “medical reasons.”
“I told a lot of people about it,” Townsend said. “To be honest, people have come near me, I’m not having any kind of conversation and anyone I spoke to, anyone who saw anything, they clearly said it was disrespectful.
“Everyone said it was a bad behavior, and it was also very hypocritical. She’s not known to have sportsmanship, she doesn’t have the best code of conduct, so it’s crazy to ask me not to even do that. I told some players about it.
Townsend reiterated that she felt she “handled the situation very elegantly.”
“I’m really proud of the way I handled it,” she said. “I didn’t allow situations to take me out of my personality or lose my integrity as a person. That’s what really matters. I get so much love and support from so many people.
Key players, including Naomi osaka, supported Townsend on Thursday.
“Obviously, that’s one of the worst things you can say to a black tennis player in a majority of White Sports,” said Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion from Haiti and whose mother is from Japan. “And I know Taylor, and I know how hard she works, and I know how smart she is, so she’s not educated or the farthest from something like that.”
Osaka said that replays of the Ostapenko-Townsend conflict “we appear on television every 15 minutes.”
Ostapenko has previously become a kerfuffles with his enemies.
“I don’t think that’s the craziest thing she’s said, I’ll be honest,” Osaka said. “I think it’s the bad timing and the worst person you’ve ever said. And I don’t know if (Ostapenko) knows the history of it in America, but she’s not going to say it again in her life.
“…it was just terrible. That’s really bad.”
Townsend was asked Wednesday if he thought there was a racial undertone in Ostapenko’s comments.
“I didn’t do that, but it was a stigma of our community, all of us, “uneducated” and when it was the farthest from the truth,” Townsend said.
“So, whether it had a racial undertone or not, that’s something she can talk about. The only thing I’m worried about right now is to keep moving forward with this tournament.”
“It’s okay to stand up for yourself. It’s okay to stand up and call out people for the bull. I’m sorry. Sometimes it feels like society, especially people of color. You’re expected to be silent.
Taylor Townsend
Ostapenko posted on social media on Wednesday that she received a message saying, “I’m racist.”
“I’ve never been a racist in my life and I respect everyone in the world,” Ostapenko posted. “It doesn’t matter where you came from for me.”
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka spoke to Ostapenko after the match and said she “treated her.”
“I have to say she’s fine,” Sabalenka said. “She can sometimes lose control. She does some things in life and has a struggle. …I think she can sometimes lose control over her emotions.
“I really hope that one day she will understand herself and that she will handle it better.”
Coco Gough also said that Ostapenko’s emotions likely boiled in the “hot of the moment,” but added that she should not say what she did.
“When you know Taylor personally, she’s the opposite. She’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. Every time I have a tough moment in court, she texts me and checks me in what I see,” Goff said. “Yeah, I really hate seeing it. Maybe this is some of the first people to hear who Taylor Townsend is. She doesn’t want it to be her main focus because she’s far more than that. She’s a mom. She’s a great friend.
Townsend said he felt the love of the New York crowd. The New York crowd flocked to the grandstand court to see the doubles match along with Senior Koba.
“I don’t think many people have seen the first round double of my life,” Townsend said. “So it’s exciting and I think we can further advance the tournament.”
Townsend said he wasn’t looking for “outside verification,” but wanted to show people that “it’s fine if you can’t do it yourself.”
“It’s okay to stand up for yourself,” Townsend said. “It’s okay to stand up and call out people for the bull. Sorry, but sometimes we’re expected to be silent because we feel like society, especially people of color.
“It’s important to speak not only for yourself but for your culture in these types of moments. And, as I said at the press conference yesterday, I carry it and I take it very seriously.
