Yulia Putintseva has apologised after receiving criticism on social media for an interaction with a ball girl at the U.S. Open, saying she did not intend to humiliate anyone with her actions.
Videos posted on social media appeared to show the 29-year-old ignoring the ball girl as she tossed balls in the 30th seed’s direction during her 6-3 6-4 loss to Jasmine Paolini in a third-round match on Saturday.
The video was shared by six-time major winner Boris Becker, who wrote in a caption: “Who does Putintseva think she is… Terrible behaviour towards the ball girl!!!”
Putintseva, who also apologised on Sunday, explained the incident in an Instagram post, saying: “It’s kind of scary the way the world can judge someone from just a three second video, that someone post from one side, without seeing the rest on what was really happening.