Jelena Ostapenko is publicly apologizing to Taylor Townsend as the 2017 French Open champion says English is "not my native language" and she didn't mean to call her rival "uneducated" when she made such a comment.
After exiting the US Open singles event in the second round following a 5-7 1-6 loss, Ostapenko had some things to clear with Townsend before leaving the court. And a heated moment argument between the two ensued, with the Latvian pointing her finger toward her rival, while evidently having some strong words for her. Later, it was revealed that she told her rival she had "no education" and "no class."
Since Townsend is a Black American player, it didn't take long before Ostapenko started hearing racist accusations. After two days of receiving intense backlash, the Latvian took to Instagram, where she issued a statement.
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Ostapenko apologizes and explains what she meant by the 'no education' remark
"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. Good bye New York and I look forward to being back next year," the 28-year-old wrote on Instagram.
Ostapenko's on-court remarks about Townsend drew some strong reactions even from fellow colleagues. Naomi Osaka declared the comments as "one of the worst things you can say to a Black player." Coco Gauff admitted she "hated to see" what was being said.
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When Townsend was asked after the match if she thought Ostapenko was being racist, the American didn't want to go that route but did say that the Latvian's remarks might have had some racist connotations.
