3 weeks ago
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American tennis star Taylor Townsend claims she has not spoken with Jelena Ostapenko since the Latvian sparked a racism scandal after their US Open match this week.
Townsend, who is black, had an intense back and forth with Ostapenko after beating her in straight sets in New York City, with her opponent attacking her for having 'no class' and 'no education' when they shook hands.
The world No 26 has denied that her comments were racist, instead stressing that she was referencing tennis etiquette amid a dispute over a shot which clipped the net before she lost the point.
After being accused of racism, Ostapenko initially rejected those allegations in her first response on social media, before she took to Instagram for a second time on Saturday to issue an apology.
'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,' she said in the apology.
Yet following her doubles victory on Saturday, Townsend said she was unaware of Ostapenko's post, while adding that she is yet to hear from her since the controversial end to their match.
Taylor Townsend says she still hasn't heard from Jelena Ostapenko since their US Open spat
'The fact of the matter is, like I said the other day, I’m still playing, so I don’t have time to be tapped in on what she’s got going on and what she says,' the 29-year-old explained, via The New York Post. 'I had a job to do today. Got it done in the doubles.'
'I have a goal while I’m here. I said it [Friday], just keeping the main thing the main thing, which is I’m here to continue to grow as a player and play my best tennis and put that on display. Anything that gets in the way of that has got to go. So I haven’t seen anything. I didn’t know what she said. But I’m still here, so I’m glad that she has the time to be able to do that.'
When told about her online apology, Townsend continued about Ostapenko: 'That’s nice that she did that, that she apologized; that’s fine. That’s cool.
'At the end of the day, it’s a learning lesson for her. Like I said… you cannot push your expectations on other people. That’s ultimately what happened.
'She expected me to react a certain type of way; and I didn’t, and it infuriated her. Which led her to say things that are hurtful, that are belligerent, that are offensive, not only to me, but to the sport and to a whole culture of people that I try to do my best to represent the best that I can.'
A number of players have leapt to Townsend's defense in recent days, including two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka.
Osaka, who is of black and Asian heritage, was quizzed on the controversy after her second-round US Open win over America's Hailey Baptiste on Thursday.
'Yeah, I saw that part obviously. It's been on the TV like every 15 minutes,' the Japanese star said when asked if she was aware of Ostapenko's tirade.
Townsend was pleased to see that Ostapenko at least apologized on social media for her rant
'I think obviously it's one of the worst things you can say to a black tennis player in a majority white sport. And granted, I know Taylor and I know how hard she's worked and I know how smart she is, so she's the furthest thing from uneducated or anything like that.'
Ostapenko has developed a reputation for having a temper on the court over the years, having let the red mist descend on several occasions in the past.
Osaka continued about the world No 25: 'If you're genuinely asking me about the history of Ostapenko, I don't think that's the craziest thing she's said. I'm going to be honest.
'I think it's ill timing and the worst person you could have ever said it to. And I don't know if she knows the history of it in America.
'I know she's never going to say that ever again in her life. But yeah, it was just terrible. Like, that's just really bad.'
