Townsend and Siniakova were aiming to add a US Open title to their resume after winning Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open in January.
Townsend became one of the faces of the tournament, thanks to a post-match altercation early in singles play that she wishes never happened. Townsend, who is Black, said Latvian opponent Jelena Ostapenko told her she had “no class” and “no education,” an interaction that became a hot button topic with questions about whether the comments had racial undertones.
The 29-year-old said she didn’t take it that way, acknowledging, “That has been a stigma in our community of being ‘not educated’ and all of the things, when it’s the furthest thing from the truth.” Townsend’s online following grew exponentially, she said she received support from fellow players and Ostapenko ultimately apologized on social media, citing English not being her first language for what she thought to mean tennis etiquette.
