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Naomi Osaka blasts Jelena Ostapenko aft her heated speech with Taylor Townsend astatine the US Open.
Published On 29 Aug 2025
Naomi Osaka said utilizing words similar “no education” and “no class” to criticise a Black tennis subordinate were among the worst things to accidental arsenic the statement implicit a heated enactment betwixt Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko raged connected astatine the US Open.
Townsend, who is Black, overcame 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1 successful a pugnacious second-round conflict connected Wednesday.
The flashpoint, however, came soon aft lucifer point, erstwhile the brace verbally duelled astatine the net, with the Latvian repeatedly wagging her digit astatine the American.
Townsend revealed a portion of the speech during her on-court interview, aft which she said during her quality league that Ostapenko would person to reply if determination were “racial undertones” to the altercation.
Ostapenko said connected Instagram aboriginal that her choler stemmed from Townsend’s refusal to apologise aft winning a constituent astatine a pivotal infinitesimal erstwhile her shot clipped the nett and stayed successful play, arsenic she accused the American of being “disrespectful”.
Apologising for winning a constituent with assistance from the nett cord is simply a contented that astir players adhere to, but they are not obliged to bash so.
The Latvian added successful different connection that she had ne'er been racist successful her life, but Osaka said the words Ostapenko chose during the altercation were successful atrocious taste.
“It’s 1 of the worst things you tin accidental to a Black tennis subordinate successful a bulk achromatic sport,” four-time Grand Slam victor Osaka said.
“I cognize Taylor and I cognize however hard she’s worked and I cognize however astute she is, truthful she’s the furthest happening from uneducated oregon thing similar that.”
Osaka, calved to a Japanese parent and Haitian father, has been an outspoken protagonist of the Black Lives Matter question some successful the United States, wherever she lives, and successful Japan. She was a champion advocator for the run during her tally to the 2020 Flushing Meadows title.
The 27-year-old had utilized her level to item radical injustice successful the United States to a wider assemblage by wearing a antithetic look disguise – each bearing the sanction of an African American who had been killed successful caller years – earlier each of her 7 matches.
“If you’re similar genuinely asking maine astir the past of Ostapenko, I don’t deliberation that’s the craziest happening she’s said. I’m going to beryllium honest,” Osaka continued with a smile.
“I deliberation it’s sick timing and the worst idiosyncratic you could person ever said it to. And I don’t cognize if she knows the past of it successful America.
“I cognize she’s ne'er going to accidental that ever again successful her life. But yeah, it was conscionable terrible. That’s conscionable truly bad.”
American Coco Gauff waded into the debate, saying though Ostapenko should not person said what she said, it was a “heat of the moment” thing.
“I cognize what was said aft the match,” said Gauff, different vocal advocator for societal issues including radical justice.
“It was a vigor of the infinitesimal thing. Jelena was astir apt feeling emotions aft she lost. I bash deliberation that shouldn’t person been said careless of however you’re feeling … Knowing Taylor personally, she’s the other of that.”
Gauff said that Townsend was 1 of the nicest radical she knew and hoped radical would present marque an effort to find retired much astir her.
“Maybe this is the archetypal radical are proceeding who Taylor is, and I don’t privation that to beryllium the main absorption of who she is due to the fact that she’s a batch much than that.
“She’s a mother, a large friend, a talented tennis subordinate and a bully person. At the extremity of this tourney I anticipation radical bash a heavy dive into her and get to cognize her much than what was said successful the erstwhile match.”
Source:
Al Jazeera and quality agencies
English (US) ·