US Open embroiled in more controversy as Grand Slam champion calls out ‘disrespectful’ behaviour
Jelena Ostapenko has once again found herself at the centre of a controversy on a Grand Slam stage.
The Latvian star is often outspoken and she was not happy with her opponents coaches during her round of 16 doubles match at the US Open.
Ostapenko and Hsieh Su-wei faced Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching in a hot-blooded collision which went the way of the former in straight sets.
During the match, Ostapenkko and Su-Wei complained to the umpire about the amount of noise Hao-ching’s coaches were making during the match.
After the match, Ostapenko detailed why she made the complaint about the coaches.
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“It’s very disrespectful. They do this because they know they cannot beat us, because they’re so much worse than us. They’re doing this on purpose. I felt like it was a little bit too intense from their side,” she said.
“That’s why me and Su-wei spoke with the chair umpire because I felt after every easy mistake we did, they were just like clapping and shouting, which in doubles is not very common.
“I understand you can do this sometimes in singles, when you really want to support your player, but normally in doubles, I think that happened for the first or the second time ever.”
This is, of course, not the first time Ostapenko has found herself in a tense argument at a Grand Slam. There was contention in a doubles match with Laura Siegemund at Wimbledon earlier this year.
Elsewhere, at the US Open last year, Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend had a very high-profile bust up at the net following their second round match.
“She told me I have no education, no class, and to see what happens if we play each other outside of the US,” said Townsend about the encounter. “I said, I’m excited, bring it on.”
In a response, Ostapenko said: “I told my opponent she didn’t say sorry [for the net cord], but her answer was that she doesn’t have to say sorry at all.
“There are some rules in tennis which most of the players follow and it was the first time ever that this has happened to me on tour. If she plays in her homeland it doesn’t mean she can behave and do whatever she wants.”
Ostapenko continues to be one of the more box office players on the WTA Tour, attracting heat and controversy whether she is playing in the singles or the doubles.
