“Controversy on Court: Yulia Putintseva’s Shocking Outburst at Ball Girl Sparks Outrage!”
“I want to apologize to the ball girl for the way I was when she was giving me balls.
“Honestly speaking it was not about her. I was really pi**ed off at myself for not winning the game from the breakpoint and then got [so] 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 [sic] doing amazing as always at the Open.”
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@PutintsevaYulia being a grownup today when losing to @JasminePaolini at @usopen. @TheTennisLetter @andyroddick @BenRothenberg @josemorgado pic.twitter.com/Ythdc8cbYV
— Meredith Thompson (@MerThomp) August 31, 2024
Putintseva, who was born in Moscow, switched to representing Kazakhstan in June 2012 because she felt slighted that the Russian Tennis Federation had not granted her a wild card into the previous year’s Kremlin Cup, as per the New York Times.
This professional tennis tournament was held annually in Russia until 2022, when it was suspended in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“I have a great relationship with Kazakhstan at the moment, but, I mean, life is long,” she said.
“You never know what’s going to happen. So, at the moment, I’m happy with what I have, but anything can change.”
Putintseva later apologized to the ball girl on social media, attributing her behavior to her frustration over losing the game
Image credits: yulia_putintseva
In 2019, the tennis player made headlines when she showed the middle finger to the crowd at the Australian Open.
