“Controversy on Court: Yulia Putintseva’s Shocking Outburst at Ball Girl Sparks Outrage!”
A video circulating on X (formerly known as Twitter) shows the girl attempting to pass a ball to Putintseva before her next serve, but the ball hits her torso and bounces away.
Putintseva also ignored the girl’s second attempt, letting the ball hit her feet and roll away as she stood still on the court.
The 29-year-old ultimately caught the third ball without acknowledging the girl.
Tennis player Yulia Putintseva was booed for blatantly ignoring a ball girl during a match at the US Open
Image credits: yulia_putintseva
Putintseva’s behavior didn’t go unnoticed by the crowd at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, who clearly expressed their disapproval of her antics.
The ball girl was seen shaking her head as she returned to her position after Putintseva moved back to the baseline.
Paolini (No. 5) defeated Putintseva (No. 32) with a 6-3, 6-4 victory on Saturday (August 31).
The video of the moment sparked outrage when it was shared on X. Former World No. 1 Boris Becker condemned Putintseva’s defiant attitude, writing, “Who does Putintseva think she is… terrible behavior towards the ball girl.”
Putintseva was losing to Italy’s Jasmine Paolini when she refused to catch the first few balls that the ball girl had passed to her
Image credits: yulia_putintseva
Retired Australian player Rennae Stubbs also used her social media platform to criticize Putintseva. “The disrespect and obnoxious behavior here is unbelievable and typical of her,” she wrote.
