SHENZHEN, China — American tennis star Taylor Townsend has apologized “from the underside of my coronary heart” for making disparaging feedback about Chinese language meals.
Her authentic feedback on social media — adopted by her apology — got here earlier than the US performs Kazakhstan on the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China.
The 29-year-old Townsend, who’s ranked world No. 1 in doubles, posted movies of native dishes together with bullfrogs and turtles and joked she would want to “speak to HR” concerning the high quality of the meals.
She took to Instagram once more Wednesday to apologize after going through a backlash on-line.
“I simply needed to come back on right here and apologize sincerely from the underside of my coronary heart,” mentioned Townsend, who mentioned she understood how privileged she is as an expert athlete to have the ability to journey around the globe and expertise cultural variations.
“(It is) one of many issues that I really like a lot about what I do, and I’ve had nothing however essentially the most superb expertise in time right here and the match,” Townsend mentioned. “Everybody has been so type and so gracious. And the issues that I mentioned weren’t consultant of that in any respect. And I simply actually needed to apologize. There’s no excuse, there are not any phrases. And for me, I simply, I will probably be higher.”
Townsend acquired right into a dispute with Jelena Ostapenko final month on the US Open, when she mentioned the Latvian participant informed her she had “no schooling, no class” after their second-round match.
Ostapenko later apologized on social media, saying English is just not her first language and that when she used the phrase “schooling” she meant tennis etiquette.
A reporter had requested Townsend, who’s Black, whether or not she thought there have been racial undertones to what Ostapenko mentioned on the court docket.
Townsend later mentioned it was “nice that she went to social media and apologized.”
The U.S. is scheduled to play Kazakhstan within the quarterfinals on Thursday.
