Taylor Townsend forced to apologise in racism row after mocking Chinese food weeks after Ostapenko incident

Wednesday, 17 September 2025 at 13:50

Taylor Townsend may have found herself being defended heavily amid the incident with Jelena Ostapenko at the US Open but has now been forced to apologise herself in a racism row at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

The 29-year-old was told she had 'no class' and 'no education' by Ostapenko at the US Open construed by some as perhaps having racial undertones. A point that was both seen as racist by some and an overreaction in regards to that direction by others. But Townsend courted her own controversy this week due to a distaste of traditional Chinese food served at the tournament gala.

Sharing a video with Hailey Baptiste, she examined the buffet which included sea cucumber, turtle and bullfrog before saying 'what the hell. This is the craziest thing I've ever seen .. and people eating this," she said.

From there she gave a pretty brutal review of the food which was widely panned. "I’m honestly just so shocked at what I saw in the dinner buffet,' she said. 'As I go back and I look… these people are literally killing frogs… bullfrogs. Aren’t those poisonous? Aren’t those the ones that give you warts and boils and stuff?

"And the fact that it’s all stewed up with chillies, peppers, and onions. Like oh, you really made this a dish. All in all I’d give this like a solid 2 out of 10 so far, because this is crazy."

Townsend was not exactly favoured for this viewpoint as she was widely called out on social media. "This is very offensive, to mock other people's cultural food,' one fan wrote on X.

Widely panned with apology forthcoming

"Won’t defend Taylor here, clearly offensive and shows a lack of understanding there are different cultures other than USA…,"

Another asked amid the issues with Ostapenko recently. "Taylor Townsend calling Chinese people "these people" while making fun of/being disgusted at Chinese food and delicacies. Is that racist?" While another saw it as just mere disrespect and lacking manners. "'She doesn't have to like the local cuisine but going to another country and then mocking the food she's been welcomed with is so disrespectful and simply lacks good manners."

Townsend was forced to row back on the criticism as she took to social media with an apology video as the reaction ramped up to the video.

"I understand that I am so privileged as a professional athlete to be able to travel all around the world and experience cultural differences, which is one of the things that I love so much about what I do,' she said in a video shared to Instagram.

"I have had nothing but the most amazing experiences and time here. The tournament and everyone has been so kind and so gracious. The things that I said were not representative of that at all.

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"I just wanted to truly apologize. There's no excuse. There's no words. For me, I will be better. I'm really thankful to my country to be able to represent them."

On the Ostapenko situation, the Latvian apologised at the time but it dominated a tournament in regards to both players and was a standout moment but amid others sticking up for Townsend, she has not exactly repaid that trust in this instance.

"That’s nice that she did that, that she apologized; that’s fine. That’s cool," she said at the time about Ostapenko's apology.

"At the end of the day, it’s a learning lesson for her. Like I said… you cannot push your expectations on other people. That’s ultimately what happened.

"She expected me to react a certain type of way; and I didn’t, and it infuriated her. Which led her to say things that are hurtful, that are belligerent, that are offensive, not only to me, but to the sport and to a whole culture of people that I try to do my best to represent the best that I can."

"There's no excuse...I will be better."

Taylor Townsend has posted an apology video to her IG stories after facing backlash for earlier comments on Chinese cuisine pic.twitter.com/7uReGdgpqk
— Christian's Court (@christianscourt) September 16, 2025

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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