Taylor Townsend shuts down Jelena Ostapenko’s ‘no class and education’ jab with grace and game

“The thing I’m most proud of is that I let my racket talk,” Taylor Townsend reflects on her US Open confrontation with Jelena Ostapenko.

Things got heated on the US Open courts yesterday between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko. And once again, a Black woman exemplified Michelle Obama’s infamous mantra of “when they go low, we go high.” 

During the second round of the tennis tournament, Towsend beat Ostapenko, 7-5, 6-1. But the real tension came at the net during the customary handshake. Ostapenko demanded an apology after Townsend’s shot clipped the top of the net, though the play was still considered legal. And when Townsend refused to say sorry, that’s when the heat turned up. 

During the altercation, Ostapenko reportedly told her “you have no education” and “no class” multiple times,  to which Townsend responded “learn how to take a loss better,” before going on to shake the chair umpire’s name and do on-court interviews. 

“It’s competition, people get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things,” Townsend told ESPN. “She told me I have no class, no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S. I’m looking forward to it. I mean, I’m looking forward to it, I beat her in Canada outside the U.S.”

Meanwhile Ostapenko took to social media, explaining that she “told my opponent that she was very disrespectful as she had a net ball in a very deciding moment and didn’t say sorry at all,” per the New York Times. 

During what Townsend knew would be a highly anticipated post-game press conference, the tennis star addressed Ostapenko’s charged outburst. 

“I’m just not going to tolerate disrespect. You’re not going to disrespect me in my face,” she explained. “I’m very proud as a Black woman being out here representing myself and representing us and our culture. I make sure that I do everything that I can to be the best representation possible every time that I step on the court and even off the court.” 

“That has been a stigma in our community of being not educated and all of the things when it’s the furthest thing from the truth,” she continued. The thing that I’m the most proud of is that I let my racquet talk. Because ultimately, I’m the one here sitting in front of you guys moving on to the next round, getting the next check, moving on, being able to still be here and speak to you guys, and that’s what’s the most important.”

Following the incident, Ostapenko has reportedly received “many messages” calling her 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 a disrespectful way to your opponent,” Ostapenko wrote in a since-deleted social media post. 

Ultimately, Townsend appears to be unbothered by the situation, writing “onto the next” in an Instagram post.

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