Women’s tennis star Naomi Osaka slammed Jelena Ostapenko’s comments to Taylor Townsend during the second round of the US Open in Flushing Meadows on Wednesday.
Taylor, who is Black, defeated Jelena 7-5 6-1 to advance to the third round. But a tense exchange occurred between the two players at the net after the match.
The Latvian tennis star repeatedly wagged her finger at Taylor and said she had “no class” and “no education.”
Taylor Townsend hit Jelena Ostapenko with the “You can learn how to take a loss gracefully” and a smile.
??? @TaylorTownsend is just too funny. #usopen
— Andrew Jerell Jones, Luke 1:37 (BlueSky too now) (@sluggahjells) August 28, 2025
Jelena later took to social media to complain about messages she received from people calling her a racist.
“I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world. For me it doesn’t matter where you come from,” she wrote.
Jelena said Taylor was “disrespectful” for not saying “sorry” after Taylor won a point off a net cord (a lucky bounce off the top of the net).
Jelena also complained that Taylor warmed up at the net before the match, instead of back at the baseline, as “all players are supposed to.”
Naomi defended Taylor during a post-match press conference on Thursday.
Naomi said the Latvian’s comment to Taylor was “one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority White sport.”
“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,” Naomi said.
Naomi, who was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, is a vocal advocate of Black Lives Matter in America.
The 27-year-old 4-time Grand Slam champion seemed to suggest that Jelena might be a White supremacist.
“If you’re genuinely asking me about the history of Ostapenko, I don’t think that’s the craziest thing she’s said. I’m going to be honest,” Naomi explained.
“I think it was ill-timed and said to the worst possible person. And I don’t know if she knows the history of it in America,” she continued.
“I know she’s never going to say that ever again in her life. But yeah, it was just terrible. That’s really bad,” Naomi added.
Naomi Osaka on the Taylor Townsend & Jelena Ostapenko situation at U.S. Open:
“It’s one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority White sport.”
“I think it's ill timing and the worst person you could have ever said it to. And I don't know if… pic.twitter.com/EQ6c5sIYIX
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 28, 2025
