Taylor Townsend has expressed her feelings about Jelena Ostapenko’s apology following the heated exchange between the two during the US Open. The American concluded her stint at the US Open women’s doubles tournament.
Townsend and Ostapenko locked horns with each other in the second round of the US Open women’s singles tournament on August 28, where the former claimed a dominant 7-5, 6-1 win over her opponent. Shortly after the match, the Latvian player claimed that Taylor should’ve said sorry for a net cord, to which the American disagreed.
Following this, Ostapenko repeatedly said, ‘You have no education,’ three times to Townsend, and then also issued an apology for her statement on social media. Days after this drama and sealing a runner-up position in the women’s doubles tournament, Townsend sat for a conversation with CBS Mornings, where she talked about Ostapenko’s apology.
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Townsend stated that it didn't seem like the most sincere apology.
"I mean, the things is I have compassion and understanding, I know and I understand that it's not her first language and I said that, I don't think she really understands the words that she said and what they mean to us and our culture and where we are in America," said Taylor Townsend.
She added:
"She doesn't understand the magnitude of what those words mean and the weight behind them, but, I mean, it's like, you know, there were things that transpired after the fact that i was just like 'okay, this may not be the most sincere but as a human, I understand, you give grace where grace is due but then like I said, I don't tolerate disrespect and especially when I treat you with respect and with sportsmanship and I am honoring the game, don't disrespect me."
Townsend teamed up with Kateřina Siniaková in the women's doubles tournament at the US Open, where they earned a second-place finish in the finals after locking horns with Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski, who claimed the title with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Taylor Townsend shares statement following Jelena Ostapenko's apology
Following the heated exchange between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko in the second round of the US Open, the former sat for a press conference, where she was asked about her thoughts on the Latvian player's apology. The American replied that it's better for her, as it was a learning lesson for her.
Calling her apology 'nice,' she said, as quoted by BBC:
"That's nice that she did that, that she apologized. That's fine. That's cool. At the end of the day, I think that it's a learning lesson for her. I really hope that from this, she can take that you can't control people and it's better just to focus on yourself," said Taylor Townsend.
Ahead of the US Open, Taylor Townsend also competed in the women's doubles of the Citi Open, where she was paired with Zhang Shuai. Here, she claimed the title after besting Caroline Dolehide and Sofia Kenin in the final round.
