Tennis
Tennis star Yulia Putintseva slammed for humiliating ball girl during US Open
Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva was booed during an awkward moment with a ball girl during her third-round match against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini on Saturday at the 2024 US Open.
Putintseva faced backlash for her attitude and demeanor towards the ball girl while in the midst of a loss in the second set, as seen in a now-viral video on X.
The 29-year-old pro stood on the court and faced the crowd when the ball girl nearby tossed her two balls, but she let them bounce off of her.
She then looked down at the second ball as it hit her foot and bounced off to the side.
Putintseva, who appeared frustrated in the moment, caught the third ball and picked up the other two.
The ball girl seemed shocked by the series of events and stood with her hands in the air before running out of the way.
The crowd seemed stunned and booed Putintseva.
Paolini went on to win in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
Boris Becker, a German former world No. 1 tennis player, slammed Putintseva for her behavior during the interaction.
“Who does Putintseva think she is … Terrible behaviour towards the ball girl !!!” Becker wrote on X, including a video of the moment.
Some said Putintseva appeared to be talking with someone in the stands and that she didn’t seem to notice the first or second balls being tossed to her.
Putintseva later issued an apology and explained her emotions got the best of her.
“I want to apologize to the ball girl for the way I was, when she was giving me balls,” Putintseva wrote on her Instagram Story in a since-expired post. “Honestly speaking it was not about her.
“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 was doing amazing as always at the Open.”
The victory Saturday makes Paolini the first Italian player to reach the Round of 16 at every Grand Slam event in a single year.
The 28-year-old Italian reached the fourth round at the Australian Open and the final at both the French Open and Wimbledon this year.
The 2024 US Open runs until Sept. 8 in New York City at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
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