After their handshake, Townsend, a Black woman, defeated 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1 in a close second-round match.
In an on-court interview, Townsend claimed Ostapenko had accused her of having “no class” and “no education,” and that the Latvian would have to respond if the row had “racial undertones.”
Ostapenko claimed on Instagram that Townsend’s refusal to apologize for clipping the net caused her to feel anger and that she was being disrespectful.
Following traditional customs of the game, the majority of players typically raise their racket in applause after claiming such a point.
Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, said using the words used by Ostapenko were the worst words to use against a Black player in the altercation, prompting the Japanese player to join in the discussion.
Ostapenko apologized on Saturday for some of the things I said during my second-round singles game.
Because English is not my native language, I was only talking about what I thought was proper tennis etiquette when I said education, but I am aware that many people could have been offended by the words I used.
I appreciate your encouragement as I continue to learn and develop as a player and person.
Townsend later expressed gratitude for Ostapenko’s apology.
” That’s fine. That’s cool, she continued. In the end, I believe that she learned that you can’t set unrealistic expectations on others. That is what transpired.
She complained that she expected me to respond in a certain way, but I didn’t, which infuriated her and made her say things that were offensive, belligerent, and hurtful to both myself and the people I try to represent as best as I can.
One of the nicest people she knew, according to American Coco Gauff, Townsend will face Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round.
Townsend claimed that the incident had led to a lot of information being shared with her.
There are many well-known faces present, but many people “maybe didn’t realize who I was,” she said.
Source: Aljazeera
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