What did Naomi Osaka say about Jelena Ostapenko over her heated exchange with Taylor Townsend? The latter addresses racist allegations

Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko had a war of words with Taylor Townsend at the 2025 US Open. During the verbal altercation, which happened on August 27, Ostapenko allegedly told Townsend that she had no class and remarked on her academic proficiency, CNN notes.

Jelena Ostapenko’s comments have reportedly been criticised for being racist, a claim that the Latvian player has dismissed. Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka, a Japanese player, was asked during a press conference about her opinion on the situation between the two. She said:

“I saw that part obviously. It’s been on the TV, like every 15 minutes. I mean, it’s really difficult to say. I think, obviously, it’s one of the worst things that you can say to a Black tennis player, in a majority white sport.”

Naomi Osaka went on:

“And granted, I know Taylor, and I know how hard she worked and I know how smart she is, so she is the furthest thing from uneducated or anything like that, but if you are like genuinely asking me about the history of Ostapenko, I don’t think that’s the craziest thing she said. I am gonna be honest.”

Osaka felt that the timing of Jelena Ostapenko’s comments was unfortunate and wondered if the Latvian player was aware of the history in America. However, Osaka felt hopeful that Ostapenko would never say that again in her life, although she felt whatever happened was displeasing.

How did Jelena Ostapenko respond to the claims?

Jelena Ostapenko addressed the claims in an Instagram story, writing that she had never been racist in her life. She said she had respect for everyone, irrespective of which part of the world they belonged to. Ostapenko mentioned that, abiding by the rules of the game, there was a code of conduct on how she must treat her opponent. She 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.”

In another Instagram story, Jelena Ostapenko shared that after the match, she told her opponent she was being disrespectful because she hit a net ball at an important moment and didn’t apologize.

According to the Latvian player, her opponent replied that she didn't feel the need to apologize. Jelena further elaborated that she had encountered such a situation for the first time on a touring match. She added that playing in her home country didn’t give the opponent the right to act however she wanted. She also wrote:

“In the beginning of the match all players are supposed to start warm up on the baseline. The opponent came out and straight away started the warm up at then which is very disrespectful and against the rules of a tennis match.”

José Morgado

@josemorgado

Ostapenko. ​“I was never racist in my life”.

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According to CNN, when asked about Jelena Ostapenko’s comment was problematic, Taylor Townsend said she didn’t look at it from that lens. However, she argued that the Black community had been the subject of stigma, especially when it came to education.

In her interview with ESPN, post-victory, Townsend also stated that some people don't react well after a loss.

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