Naomi Osaka has given her take on what transpired after Jelena Ostapenko’s U.S. Open loss against Taylor Townsend this week, describing the Latvian tennis player’s widely criticized remarks “one of the worst things that you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority white sport.”
During a press conference on Thursday after her win over Hailey Baptiste, Osaka noted that she had seen the tense on-court encounter “on the TV like every 15 minutes.” As previously reported, Ostapenko appeared to tell Townsend “you have no education” at one point. She later addressed her remarks in several Instagram Stories updates, including one in which she said she “was never racist in my life.” At the time, Ostapenko was speaking out in response to what she said were the “many messages” she had received criticizing her as such.
“I think, obviously, it’s one of the worst things that you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority white sport,” Osaka said of the moment on Thursday. “Granted, I know Taylor and I know how hard she’s worked and I know how smart she is so she’s the furthest thing from uneducated or anything like that.”
Osaka continued, “But if you’re genuinely asking me the history of Ostapenko, I don’t think that’s the craziest thing she’s said. I’m gonna be honest. I think it’s ill timing and the worst person you could have ever said it to. I don’t know if she knows the history of it in America but I know she’s never gonna say that ever again in her life. It’s just terrible. That’s just really bad.”
During her own post-victory presser, also on Thursday, Coco Gauff addressed Ostapenko’s remarks by pointing out that Townsend, “one of the nicest people” she’s ever met, is “a lot more than” this viral moment.
“I know what was said [by Ostapenko] after the match,” she said. “I think that was a heat-of-the-moment thing. I do think that shouldn’t have been said, regardless of how you’re feeling. … Knowing Taylor personally, she’s the opposite of that.”
Townsend herself has also spoken out since the incident. In an IG update, she said she “brought the fire” but “some people can’t take the heat.” She also said in a post-win interview with ESPN that she was “looking forward” to playing against Ostapenko again.
