Yulia Putintseva, a Russian-born Kazakhstani tennis player, has issued an apology after she went viral for giving a ball girl the cold shoulder at the U.S. Open this weekend.
“I want to apologize to the ball girl for the way I was when she was giving me balls,” the athlete, 29, wrote in her Instagram Story on Saturday.
“Honestly speaking it was not about her,” she continued, Sports Illustrated reports. “I was really pissed at myself by not winning the game from the break point and then got empty with my emotions and deep in my thoughts, that I was not even focusing on what’s going on and who gives me the ball … All the ball kids [were] doing amazing as always at the Open.”
The drama kicked off earlier on Saturday when Putintseva appeared to give a ball girl attitude during her match against Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
In clips shared on social media, Putintseva was seen gesturing for a ball girl to throw her new balls, but let two of them bounce off her body before she finally caught the third.
The ball girl appeared bewildered by Putintseva’s reaction and stood motionless for a moment with her hands in the air before returning to the sidelines.
The bizarre interaction prompted boos from the crowd. Criticism of Putintseva then trickled over to social media.
Another X user praised the unnamed ball girl for handling the awkward situation with grace.
Putintseva’s apology also drew criticism from X users, with some complaining that she didn’t personally address the ball girl in her message. It’s unclear if she reached out in private.
HuffPost has reached out to Putintseva’s reps for comment.
Putintseva went on to lose, 6-3, 6-4 to Paolini during Saturday’s match, sealing her exit from the U.S. Open.
