Tennis star Taylor Townsend has issued a public apology after making offensive statements about Chinese cuisine.
According to The Atlantic, the Chicago native was dining at a Chinese buffet with teammates while representing the U.S. in Shenzhen, China, for the Billie Jean King Cup tournament.
In since-deleted videos that were posted to her Instagram Story, Townsend criticized the food her table was served, beginning with calling a bowl of sea cucumbers "crazy."
"This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.. and people eating this," the athlete added in a caption. "Imma have to talk to HR.. because what the hell.. turtle and bullfrog is WILD."
In another video, the athlete added that she was "honestly just so shocked" at what she saw at the dining establishment.
"And as I go back and I look … These people are literally killing frogs … Bullfrogs," she continued. "Aren’t those poisonous? Aren’t those the ones that give you warts and boils and stuff? And turtles?"
She gave the experience a "solid two out of ten," with Townsend posting an apology on her Instagram story on Tuesday (Sept. 16).
“I understand that I am so privileged as a professional athlete to be able to travel around the world and experience cultural differences, which is one of the things that I love so much about what I do," she said. "And I have had nothing but the most amazing experience in my time here."
She continued, "There's no excuse, there's no words and for me, I will be better."
Last month, many 2025 U.S. Open spectators sided with Townsend in her defeat of Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko, who confronted her in a tense exchange after the match.
Following the showdown, Ostapenko denied that she was "racist."
