Sports: Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva has apologized for her “terrible behavior” towards a ball girl during her US Open match.
In a social media post on Monday, Putintseva expressed regret, stating, “I want to apologize to the ball girl for the way I acted while she was handing me balls.”
The incident took place during her third-round loss to Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, leading to the crowd at Flushing Meadows booing her and drawing criticism from figures such as Boris Becker and Piers Morgan.
The footage shows Putintseva being handed two balls by the ball girl, which she ignored while staring at the young girl without moving. This left the ball girl in an awkward position until Putintseva eventually caught a third ball and continued play, trailing 4-2 in the second set.
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Putintseva explained, “It wasn’t about her. I was frustrated with myself for not converting a breakpoint and was overwhelmed by my emotions and thoughts. I wasn’t focused on what was happening or who was giving me the ball.”
“All the ball kids were doing amazing as always at the open,” she stated.
Putintseva faced backlash for her interaction with a ball girl during the match. The young girl first tried to hand her a ball, but Putintseva let it hit her torso and bounce away.
In another attempt, the ball bounced off Putintseva’s feet as she merely watched it roll away. This behavior led to loud boos from the crowd. When the ball girl tried again, Putintseva finally caught the ball but did not acknowledge her.
The ball girl, trying to assist, stretched her arms wide, yet Putintseva picked up one of the previously ignored balls without a word. As Putintseva returned to the baseline, the ball girl walked back to her position with a wry smile, shaking her head at the situation.
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