NEW YORK (AP) – Jelena Ostapenko apologized for to tell on social media on Saturday Taylor Townsend She had “no education” after she had lost her with the Our open Earlier in the week, to explain that she was planning to call Townsend for what Ostapenko considered arm tennisiquette.
Ostapenko, the French Open Champion 2017 from Latvia, wrote in a message that English is not her native language: “So when I said education, I only spoke about what I believe (is) tennisiquette, but I understand how the words I used could have insulted many people outside the tennis court.”
Townsend said she was not aware of the apology when she started her press conference after her double extraction Saturday. She smiled as she listened to a reporter who read Ostapenko’s message.
“That’s nice that she did that, that she apologized,” Townsend said, adding that she did not personally hear of Ostapenko. “That’s fine. That’s cool. At the end of the day I think it’s a learning lesson for her. … It is great that she went to social media and apologized. But I really hope she can take that from this, hey, you can’t control people and it is better to concentrate on yourself.”
After the episode on Wednesday, when the two players had an extension back and forth after they had shaken their hands on the net, a reporter Townsend asked, who is black, or she thought there was racial undertone for what Ostapenko said on the field.
“I did not take it that way, but also, you know, that has been a stigma in our community of ‘not trained’ and all things, when it is furthest in the truth,” Townsend replied.
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Ostapenko wrote that day on social media that she found Townsend ‘disrespectful’ because she did not apologize after she had not apologized after she was helped by a net cord over a point. Ostapenko also complained that Townsend started heat up Before the match reaches the net at the net, instead of back at the baseline.
Towns Will play in the fourth round of singles on Sunday.
