SME News UK. Taylor Townsend has responded to Jelena Ostapenko\u2019s public apology following their heated clash at the US Open, describing the Latvian\u2019s earlier remarks as \u201churtful,\u201d \u201cbelligerent,\u201d and \u201coffensive,\u201d but hoping the incident will serve as a \u201clearning lesson.\u201dThe fallout stems from their second-round singles match earlier this week, when Ostapenko accused Townsend of having \u201cno class\u201d and \u201cno education.\u201d The 2017 French Open champion later took to Instagram to apologise, clarifying that English is not her first language and that she had been referring to tennis etiquette rather than formal education.\u201cHi all \u2013 I wanted to apologise for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match,\u201d Ostapenko wrote. \u201cEnglish is not my native language, so when I said education I was speaking only about what I believe as tennis etiquette. But I understand how the words used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court. I appreciate the support as I continue to learn and grow as a person and a tennis player. Goodbye New York and I look forward to being back next year.\u201dWhile Townsend noted she has not heard directly from Ostapenko, she welcomed the gesture and stressed the importance of reflection.\u201cThat\u2019s nice that she did that, that she apologised,\u201d Townsend said. \u201cAt the end of the day, I think that it\u2019s a learning lesson for her. You cannot push your expectations on other people. That\u2019s ultimately what happened. She expected me to react in a certain type of way, and I didn\u2019t, and it infuriated her, which led her to say things that are hurtful, that are offensive\u2014not only to me, but to the sport and to a whole culture of people.\u201dTownsend added that Ostapenko\u2019s outburst was not surprising given her history of emotional reactions on court, but said she hopes this experience encourages her to focus on herself rather than others.\u201cYou can\u2019t get upset if someone doesn\u2019t do something that you want them to do,\u201d Townsend said. \u201cUltimately, when we get our emotions wrapped up in things is where we get our feelings hurt. I think that\u2019s ultimately what happened. It\u2019s great she went to social media and apologised. I really hope from this she can take that, \u2018Hey, you can\u2019t control people and it\u2019s better just to focus on yourself.\u2019\u201dThe controversy has sparked broader conversations within the tennis world. Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, called Ostapenko\u2019s initial comments \u201cone of the worst things you could say to a Black tennis player,\u201d while fellow American Ben Shelton described them as \u201ccrazy.\u201dOstapenko\u2019s campaign at Flushing Meadows ended Thursday following a doubles loss with partner Barbora Krejcikova. Townsend, meanwhile, advances to the fourth round of singles, where she will face Krejcikova on Sunda.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SME News UK. Taylor Townsend has responded to Jelena Ostapenko\u2019s public apology following their heated clash at the US Open, describing the Latvian\u2019s earlier remarks as \u201churtful,\u201d \u201cbelligerent,\u201d and \u201coffensive,\u201d but hoping the incident will serve as a \u201clearning lesson.\u201dThe fallout stems from their second-round singles match earlier this week, when Ostapenko accused Townsend of…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\n