'It's One Of The Worst Things You Can Say': Naomi Osaka Stands By Taylor Townsend After The Latter’s Heated Exchange With Jelena Ostapenko At Us Open

Taylor Townsend and Jelene Ostapenko’s bitter exchange at the 2025 US Open has become the talk of the town. The tennis world is seemingly rocked by controversy after Ostapenko’s remarks during their second-round match on August 27.

Townsend would claim victory in their match, but the story unfortunately didn’t end there. The two opponents would clash face-to-face at the net. Ostapenko would then accuse Townsend of having “no class” and “no education.” These comments haven’t sat right with a lot of people in the tennis world.

Naomi Osaka has now come out to speak in Townsend’s defense. She criticized Ostapenko for making these comments during a press conference. The four-time Grand Slam champion claimed it was the worst thing she could have possibly said to her opponent after their second-round match.

 “I don’t know if she knows the history of it in America. But I know she’s never going to say that ever again in her life. It was just terrible. I think obviously it’s one of the worst things you can say to a black tennis player in a majority white sport.”

Jelena Has Been Accused Of Racism Following Her Comments

The heated exchange between Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend on the court has sparked huge controversy. While there are bound to be arguments in a competitive sport at some point, it’s important to stay dignified.

However, the comments from Ostapenko have been labeled as particularly insulting towards her opponent. She made those remarks after Townsend hadn’t followed proper etiquette in tennis to apologize for the net cord advantage. The Latvian Tennis player has been since been under fire from the internet and has been doing her best to defend herself on social media.

Naomi Osaka has made sure to praise Townsend following the controversial incident. She also highlighted Ostapenko’s history of throwing out similar comments before. The Japanese tennis player added that these remarks aren’t the only ‘crazy’ things she has said.

“If you’re, like, genuinely asking me about the history of Ostapenko, I don’t think that’s the craziest thing she’s said,”

Townsend Has Handled The Situation With Grace

Taylor Townsend has certainly let her racket talk for her during the 2026 US Open. The no. 139-ranked tennis player bested Jelena Ostapenko during their second-round match on Wednesday. Ostapenko is currently ranked at No. 25 in the world.

Townsend has chosen to move forward in her life following her heated exchange at the US Open. She certainly hasn’t let Ostapenko’s comments weigh her down. She’s even stated that the remarks made at her probably weren’t racially charged.

Instead, she chalked up the entire confrontation as a heat-of-the-moment incident. This behavior shows the grace she’s showing to keep going, and has certainly helped Ostapenko by letting the whole thing go.