Just a day after making an ‘ignorant’ critique of Chinese cuisine during a tournament in the country, American tennis player Taylor Townsend faced a storm of boos and taunts from fans.
As Townsend stepped onto the court with fellow athlete Jessica Pegula at the Billie Jean King Cup in Shenzhen, China, on Thursday, she was met with vocal disapproval from the local audience.
Townsend does not react to the boos that filled the arena, as she wore a red top and a navy skirt representing the United States.
The 29-year-old athlete, who recently endured a controversy at the U.S. Open due to Jelena Ostapenko’s comments about her lacking ‘class’ and ‘education,’ has now ignited a controversy of her own.
Before the quarterfinal win over Kazakhstan, she shared her distaste for the traditional Chinese served at the tournament’s gala.
Fans swiftly condemned her remarks as ‘offensive’ and ‘super ignorant,’ prompting Townsend to issue an apology via social media.
American tennis star Taylor Townsend was met with boos and taunts in China on Thursday
The tennis star shared her disgusted reaction to the specialty dishes at the tournament gala
On Tuesday night, Townsend posted an Instagram story, expressing: ‘Hi, everyone, I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart.’
‘I recognize my privilege as a professional athlete, which allows me to travel worldwide and embrace cultural differences, a beloved aspect of my career. My experiences here have been nothing short of incredible.’
‘Everyone has been so kind, so gracious and the things that I said were not representative of that at all. I just truly wanted to apologize.
‘There is no excuse, no words. For me, I will be better. I’m really thankful my country to be able to represent them. To be better that’s all that I can do.’
Earlier on Tuesday, Townsend had shared a series of Instagram stories sharing her surprised and disgusted reaction to the specialty dishes on offer at the event, including sea cucumber, turtle and bullfrog.
In a series of Instagram posts, Townsend shared a video of herself examining the buffet before she zoomed in on the sea cucumber asking, ‘What the hell?’
Alongside a separate clip of the dish, Townsend wrote: ‘This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen .. and people eating this.’
The tennis player later returned to her Instagram to expand on her criticism, delivering a brutal review of the cuisine.
Tennis star Taylor Townsend has apologized for her criticisms of Chinese food on social media
In a series of Instagram stories, Townsend questioned the cuisine on offer to the players
‘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 chilies, 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.’
Tennis fans were left outraged by Townsend’s comments with many branding them ‘super ignorant’ on social media.
‘This is very offensive, to mock other people’s cultural food,’ one fan wrote on X.
‘Won’t defend Taylor here, clearly offensive and shows a lack of understanding there are different cultures other than USA…,’ one supporter admitted, as a disappointed third added: ‘Damn taylor, you can do better.’
Meanwhile, another asked: ‘Taylor Townsend calling Chinese people “these people” while making fun of/being disgusted at Chinese food and delicacies. Is that racist?’
On the court, Townsend and Pegula defeated Yulia Putintseva and Elena Rybakina 6-2, 7-6 (1), setting up a matchup with Great Britain in the semifinals on Saturday.
