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Yuliya Putintseva issues apology after 'terrible' act towards ball girl angers tennis fans at US Open

Putintseva issued a grovelling apology after copping backlash over the incident.

andrew reid
·4-min read

Yuliya Putintseva has issued a grovelling apology after a questionable incident with a ball girl at the US Open that has been condemned around the tennis world. Putintseva's tournament came to an end in the third round encounter against Italy's Jasmine Paolini, with the fifth seed too strong for the Kazakhstani in a convincing 6-3 6-4 victory.

But it was the actions of renowned hot-head Putintseva towards a ball girl that stole the headlines and landed the 29-year-old in the crosshairs of disgusted fans. Putintseva has a reputation for being a bit of a tennis brat and she lived up to it in New York after taking her frustrations out on a ball girl while a set and 4-2 down in the second stanza.

Putintseva exuded passive aggressiveness as she stood frozen still while facing the ball girl and waiting to receive tennis balls before her next serve. Then as she was tossed the first ball, the 30th seed simply let it hit her and roll away. She then coldly watched on as the young official tossed her another ball that she again made no attempt to collect.

Seen here, tennis star Yuliya Putintseva's incident with a ball girl at the US Open.
Tennis star Yuliya Putintseva was condemned over an ugly incident with a ball girl at the US Open. Pic: Tennis Channel/Getty

Not to be deterred by the rude actions of the tennis star, the ball girl offered Putintseva a third ball which she finally accepted as boos rang out from the crowd at Flushing Meadows. It was a completely unnecessary show of aggression from the Kazakhstani player towards an official that was just trying to do her job. And the tennis world was swift in its condemnation of Putintseva, with six-time grand slam winner Boris Becker labelling it "terrible behaviour".

“Who does Putintseva think she is? Terrible behaviour towards the ball girl," Becker wrote on X alongside a video of the incident. Aussie great Rennae Stubbs added: “The disrespect and obnoxious behaviour here is unbelievable and typical from her”. And American tennis commentator Jon Wertheim also wrote: “Those boos weren’t nearly loud enough... so, so poor, this”.

Putintseva was still seen shaking her head as she made her way back into position to serve, but tennis fans were quick to praise the ball girl for refusing to let the ugly incident stop her from doing her job admirably. “Tremendous effort from the Ball girl to raise her arms," American tennis commentator Brad Gilbert posted on X. "Ball persons should never ever get dissed, since so many former players were a ball kid as well”.

Following the global backlash that accompanied her ride act of petulance, Putintseva offered an apology on social media and claimed her anger was not directed at the ball girl, but rather frustrations with her own game. “I want to apologise to the ball girl for the way I was, when she was giving me balls,” Putintseva wrote on her Instagram stories.

“Honestly speaking it was not about her. I was really pissed at my self 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 whats going on and who gives me the ball. All the ball kids was doing amazing as always at the open”.

Seen here, Yuliya Putintseva and Jasmine Paolini shake hands after their third round match at the US Open.
Yuliya Putintseva was no match for Jasmine Paolini in the third round of the US Open. Pic: Getty

The victory for Putintseva's third round conqueror Paolini sees the Italian set up a round of 16 clash with Karolina Muchova and continues her impressive run of form in 2024. The fifth seed has rocketed up the world standings after winning through to the fourth round at all four of this year's grand slams and will be eyeing a first career major in New York.

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Elsewhere in the women's draw, defending champion Coco Gauff was sent packing after losing to fellow American Emma Navarro 6-3 4-6 6-3 in the fourth round. Third seed Gauff was unable to overcome a poor performance that included more double-faults, 19, than winners, 14. World No.12 Navarro, who also eliminated Gauff in the fourth round at Wimbledon in July, will play Paula Badosa in the quarter-finals after the Spaniard downed China's Wang Yafan a 6-1 6-2.

with AAP