An on-court spat has turned into accusations of racism online, after Latvian tennis star Jelena Ostapenko berated her American opponent, Taylor Townsend, following her loss and exit from the U.S. Open tournament.
Ostapenko, who is white, lost in straight sets to Townsend, who is black, in the second round of the tournament. However, the customary end-of-match handshake and exchange of pleasantries was not to be had, as Ostapenko lashed out in a finger-pointing tirade at the Chicago-native.
“She told me I have no class, no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.,” Townsend told ESPN after the match.
“I beat her in Canada, outside the US, so let’s see what else she has to say… it’s competition, people get upset when they lose, some people say bad things.”
Ostapenko quickly found herself having to defend against charges of racism online, as many seemed angered by her berating of a black opponent. The Latvian tennis star insisted, however, that the issue wasn’t race; it was Townsend’s alleged breach of etiquette.
“Wow, how many messages I received that I am a racist,” she 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.”
Townsend did not accuse Ostapenko of racism in her post-match press conference. Instead, she insisted that her rival’s intentions were something only Ostapenko could speak to.
“I didn’t take it in that way, but also that has been a stigma in our community of being not educated,” she said. “I can’t speak on what her intentions were… whether it had racial undertones or not, that’s something she can speak on.”
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