Tennis Pro Apologizes After Viral Incident with U.S. Open Ball Girl Spurs Outrage

Clear Facts

• Yulia Putintseva faced backlash for a disrespectful interaction with a U.S. Open ball girl during her third-round loss.
• Putintseva was seen ignoring the ball girl and letting tennis balls bounce off her, leading to boos from the crowd and criticism on social media.
• Putintseva issued a public apology, explaining that her frustration was aimed at her own performance, not the ball girl.

Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva has found herself at the center of controversy following her third-round exit at the U.S. Open.

During her match against Jasmine Paolini, Putintseva was caught on video in an uncomfortable exchange with a ball girl, which quickly went viral on social media.

In the second set of her 6-3, 6-4 loss, Putintseva stood still as the ball girl tossed her two tennis balls. She let each one bounce off her before finally attempting to catch the third.

The crowd reacted immediately with loud boos, and social media was ablaze with criticism.

“Everyone should equally respect ball kids. They are also working hard. Respect,” one user posted on X.

“​​Completely disrespectful behavior, she is a horrible role model,” another comment read.

“You can tell a lot about a person’s character by how they treat those below them,” another post stated.

The backlash prompted Putintseva to issue a public apology on her social media accounts. She clarified that her frustration was directed at her own performance and not at the ball girl.

“I want to apologize to the ball girl for the way I was, when she was giving me balls. Honestly speaking it was not about her. I was really pissed at myself by not winning the game from the breakpoint 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,” Putintseva wrote.

Putintseva’s journey at the U.S. Open ended in the third round, while Jasmine Paolini advanced to the Round of 16, where she will face Karolina Muchova.

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