Naomi Osaka has condemned remarks made by Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko after the former French Open champion directed a furious tirade at American opponent Taylor Townsend following her second-round defeat at the U.S. Open.
Townsend, who is African American, said Ostapenko accused her of having “no education and no class” during a heated exchange after Wednesday’s match. The comments were widely denounced as racist on social media, prompting Ostapenko to issue a late-night denial.
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“Wow how many messages I received that I am a racist,” Ostapenko wrote on Instagram. “I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world. For me it doesn’t matter where you come from.” She insisted her criticism stemmed from what she saw as poor etiquette, not race.
But the controversy spilled into Thursday as fellow players weighed in.
Osaka, who has Haitian and Japanese heritage, said Ostapenko’s remarks were “terrible” and carried painful historical connotations.
“I think obviously it’s one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority white sport,” Osaka said after her own second-round win. “I know Taylor and I know how hard she’s worked and I know how smart she is. She’s the furthest thing from uneducated… It’s ill-timed and the worst person you could have ever said it to. And I don’t know if (Ostapenko) knows the history of it in America. But I know she’s never going to say that again in her life.”
Men’s sixth seed Ben Shelton, Townsend’s mixed doubles partner, also rebuked the Latvian star:
“Some shocking comments towards (Townsend), and not the smartest thing to say to an American in New York City. Kind of speaks for itself, right? Crazy.”
For her part, Townsend said she did not interpret the remarks as racist, though she acknowledged the damaging stereotype they invoked.
“I didn’t take it in that way,” she said. “But that has been a stigma in our community of being not educated, when it’s the furthest thing from the truth. I don’t really take that personally, because I know that it’s so far from the truth. I’m very strong. I’m very proud as a Black woman being out here representing myself, representing us, and our culture.”
The uproar comes as tennis continues to grapple with issues of diversity and inclusivity in a sport where Black players remain underrepresented at the elite level.
