Taylor Townsend is continuing to aim high.
Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko got into a viral altercation after the second round of the U.S. Open. Townsend won 7-5, 6-1 over Ostapenko, and following the match, the two had a heated verbal disagreement.
In the viral footage, Ostapenko is heard saying to Townsend, "You have no education" multiple times.
Townsend, on the other hand decided to keep a calm demeanor and told Ostapenko to "take the L [loss]."
"I'm really proud of the way that I handled it," Townsend told reporters on Thursday, Aug. 28. "I didn't allow the situation to take me out of my character or to lose my integrity as a person, and that's what really matters.”
She added, “I've gotten so much love and support from so many people and that's really what it's about, being able to come together and support."
Townsend, as well as others, felt as though Ostapenko's words were "disrespectful" as well as her mannerisms.
"I've talked to a lot of people about it," Townsend said. "Honestly, people have come up to me, I haven't enticed any sort of conversation, and everyone that I've spoken to, who saw anything, they obviously said that it was disrespectful. Even the mannerisms of her hand pointing at my face, like I'm a child, and just the things that she was saying.”
According to Townsend and others in the tennis community, said that Ostapenko's behavior has been a pattern.
"Everyone said that it was bad behavior,” Townsend shared.“And it was also very hypocritical. She's not known to have sportsmanship, doesn't have the best code of conduct. So to try and call me out on something that you don't even do yourself is crazy. I spoke to several players about it, but I'm not that kind of person to keep drama going. I'm very clear as to where I stand and how I feel about the situation."
Naomi Osaka defends Taylor Townsend amid viral altercation
Four Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who is Japanese and Haitian, spoke to reporters about the Townsend incident.
“I think obviously it’s one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority White sport,” Osaka said. “And 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."
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