Jelena Ostapenko has apologised for words she used in a tense altercation with American Taylor Townsend at the U.S. Open, which sparked a backlash.
The Latvian said on Saturday that English is not her native language.
The controversy erupted after Townsend, who is black, defeated the 2017 French Open champion 7-5 6-1 in a second-round match on Wednesday.
Tensions flared after the handshake, when Ostapenko engaged Townsend in a heated verbal exchange.
Townsend later said during her on-court interview that Ostapenko accused her of having “no class” and “no education.”
She told reporters that the Latvian would have to answer for whether there were “racial undertones” to the comments.
Ostapenko explained on Instagram that her anger stemmed from Townsend’s refusal to apologise for winning a point off a net cord.
Players traditionally raise their racket in apology when benefiting from such points.
Ostapenko accused Townsend of being disrespectful for not doing so.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka weighed in, saying Ostapenko’s words were the worst kind to use against a black player.
“I want to apologise for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match,” Ostapenko said on Saturday.
“English is not my native language, so when I said ‘education’, I meant tennis etiquette.
“But I understand how the words I used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court.
“I appreciate the support as I continue to learn and grow as a person and a player.”
Townsend said she appreciated the apology.
“That’s fine. That’s cool,” she said.
“At the end of the day, I think it’s a lesson for her. You can’t push your expectations on other people. That’s what happened.
“She expected me to react a certain way. I didn’t, and it infuriated her, which led her to say things that were hurtful, belligerent, and offensive – not only to me but to the sport and a whole culture of people I try to represent the best I can,” she added.
American Coco Gauff, speaking about the controversy, said Townsend was “one of the nicest people” she knew.
Townsend said the incident has brought new attention to her career.
“There are a lot of familiar faces here, but also many who maybe didn’t know who I was,” she said.
“People are seeing me now, but they’re also going back to learn my history, my journey — and how I got here. I think that’s super cool.”
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