Fellow players offered support to Taylor Townsend after an on-court spat with Jelena Ostapenko at the US Open. The incident followed a second-round singles match in which Ostapenko berated Townsend for not apologizing for a net cord and then used insulting language, questioning Townsend's intellect and character. Townsend had not heard from Ostapenko since the match and described the behavior as disrespectful, citing hand gestures toward her face. Townsend called the conduct hypocritical given Ostapenko's own sportsmanship record, emphasized that she handled the situation gracefully, and said she received widespread support.
Everyone said that it was bad behavior. And it was also very hypocritical. She's not known to have sportsmanship, doesn't have the best code of conduct. So to try and call me out on something that you don't even do yourself is crazy. I spoke to several players about it, but I'm not that kind of person to keep drama going. I'm very clear as to where I stand and how I feel about the situation.
The American on Thursday said she had not heard from Ostapenko since their second-round singles battle, which ended with Ostapenko berating Townsend, who is Black, for not apologizing for a net cord and then using insulting language and questioning her intellect and character. Townsend, the doubles world No. 1, met with the media Thursday after her first-round doubles win with partner Katerina Siniakova. Meanwhile, Ostapenko, who lost her first-round doubles match with partner Barbora Krejcikova on Thursday, skipped her own news conference, citing "medical reasons."
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