Jelena Ostapenko reacts to racial slurs after Taylor Townsend saga: Never a racist

Jelena Ostapenko has issued a firm response after being subjected to racial abuse in the aftermath of her second-round defeat to Taylor Townsend at the 2025 US Open. The Latvian star, who fell 7-5, 6-1 to the American on August 27, found herself at the center of a controversy following a heated post-match exchange that overshadowed the tennis.

At the net, Ostapenko accused Townsend of lacking “class” and “education,” and her comments quickly sparked backlash online. Within hours, Ostapenko’s social media accounts were flooded with messages branding her a racist, despite her insistence that her criticism had nothing to do with race.

The 2017 French Open champion, currently ranked No. 25 in the world, took to Instagram to defend herself and stress that her remarks were directed purely at sportsmanship and crowd conduct.

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“Wow how many messages I received that I am a racist. 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. There are some rules in tennis and unfortunately when the crowd is with you you can't use it in disrespectful way to your opponent,” Ostapenko wrote.

“Unfortunately for me, coming from such a small country I don't have that huge support and a chance to play in homeland. I always loved to play in the US and US OPEN, but this is the first time someone is approaching the match this disrespectful way,” Ostapenko added.

Ostapenko slams Townsend

In a series of social media posts, Ostapenko voiced her frustration over her match against Townsend, accusing the American of showing disrespect from the very start. Ostapenko noted that players traditionally begin warm-ups from the baseline, but Townsend started at the net - something she described as poor etiquette.

She was also irritated when a crucial net cord point went in Townsend’s favour without an apology, which she said most professionals acknowledge. Emphasising that playing at home doesn’t excuse ignoring basic courtesies, Ostapenko thanked her fans and vowed to return stronger, using the incident as motivation.