Naomi Osaka Calls Jelena Ostapenko’s Comments to Taylor Townsend ‘One of the Worst Things You Can Say to a Black Tennis Player’

Naomi Osaka has spoken out about the tense exchange between Latvian tennis star Jelena Ostapenko and American player Taylor Townsend after their U.S. Open match on Wednesday, Aug. 27.

After losing the match, Ostapenko, 28, accused Townsend, 29, of having “no class” and “no education.” The comment came when Townsend refused to apologize after winning a point with the help of a net cord — a shot that clips the top of the net but still lands in play.

“I think obviously it’s one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority White sport,” said Osaka, 27, who has a Japanese mother and Haitian father. “I know Taylor, and I know how hard she’s worked. She’s smart, she’s talented, and she’s the furthest thing from uneducated.”

Osaka, who has played Ostapenko many times, hinted this wasn’t the first time Ostapenko has been controversial. “If you’re genuinely asking me about the history of Ostapenko, I don’t think that’s the craziest thing she’s said,” she explained. “It’s just the worst timing and the worst person she could have said it to. I don’t know if she understands the history of that in America.”

Osaka added that the backlash would likely have a lasting impact. “She’s never going to say that again in her life. It was terrible, just really bad.”

On the question of apologizing for a net cord, Osaka said, “Honestly, I probably don’t care either way. I wouldn’t care enough for it to make me angry. It’s up to the person. If it’s really close, I can see why they don’t apologize.”

Townsend won the Aug. 27 match 7-5, 6-1. After the final handshake, Ostapenko looked upset and gestured toward Townsend. Post-match footage shared by ESPN showed Townsend responding, “No, I don’t have to say sorry.”

In her interview with ESPN, Townsend said, “People get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things.” She also claimed that Ostapenko told her she had “no class, no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.”

Townsend dismissed the threat. “I beat her in Canada, outside the U.S. I beat her in New York, inside the U.S., so let’s see what else she has to say.”

Later, Townsend told reporters she wasn’t holding a grudge. “I chalk it up to her being upset and trying to break the momentum. Sometimes people do that, but it is what it is. There’s no beef. But I didn’t back down — you’re not going to insult me, especially when I carried myself with nothing but respect. If I show respect to you, I expect respect back. That’s just the fact of the matter.”

Ostapenko later defended herself in a statement on Instagram, pushing back against accusations of racism. “Wow, how many messages I received that I am a racist. I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world. It doesn’t matter where you come from,” she wrote.

She also insisted that Townsend was “disrespectful” for not apologizing for the net cord. “There are some rules in tennis which most of the players follow, and it was the first time ever this happened to me on tour,” she said. “If she plays in her homeland, it doesn’t mean she can behave and do whatever she wants.”