What other players on tour are saying about the Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend situation<\/p>\n
Plenty of players, unsurprisingly, have been asked to offer their thoughts on this huge US Open<\/a> controversy.<\/p>\n
Naomi Osaka is the latest star to deliver her thoughts on the outstanding controversy that has come out of the US Open.<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, it once again involved Jelena Ostapenko, who has come under tremendous fire for her post-match outburst at Taylor Townsend.<\/p>\n
Having lost the match, the two engaged in a frosty handshake at the net, before the Latvian branded her opponent \u2018disrespectful\u2019 and \u2018uneducated\u2019, a claim that has caused particular scrutiny.<\/p>\n
And now, asked her thoughts on the incident, Osaka has delivered her cautious, but intelligent insight.<\/p>\n
Naomi Osaka reacts to Jelena Ostapenko\u2019s US Open controversy with Taylor Townsend<\/p>\n
As someone who has always stood up for what she believes in, her solidarity with Townsend was refreshing, but unsurprising.<\/p>\n
Asked about the potential racial undertones of Ostapenko\u2019s claims, Osaka admitted: \u201cYeah, I mean, I saw that part, obviously. It\u2019s been on the TV, like, every 15 minutes. <\/p>\n
Um.. I mean, it\u2019s really difficult to say. I think, obviously, it\u2019s one of the worst things that you can say to a black tennis player in a majority white sport. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd granted, I know Taylor, and I know how hard she\u2019s worked, and I know how smart she is, so she\u2019s the furthest thing from uneducated or anything like that. But, um, if you\u2019re, like, genuinely asking me about the history of Ostapenko, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the craziest thing she said. I\u2019m gonna be honest. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s ill-timed, and the worst person you could have ever said it to. And I don\u2019t know if she knows the history of it in America, but I know she\u2019s never gonna say that, ever again in her life, but, um, yeah, I mean, it\u2019s just terrible. Like, that\u2019s just really bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ostapenko took to social media to explain her issue with Townsend<\/a>, but did not come close to issuing an apology.<\/p>\n What other players on tour are saying about the Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend situation<\/p>\n Plenty of players, unsurprisingly, have been asked to offer their thoughts on this huge US Open<\/a> controversy.<\/p>\n
![\"Jelena](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2232430337-3-1024x682.jpg\")
Photo by Clive Brunskill\/Getty Images<\/p>\n