Yulia Putintseva has publicly apologized for the second time after taking her frustration out on a ball server at the US Open. The 29-year-old faced significant backlash for her obnoxious behavior during her match with Jasmine Paolini last Friday.
In a video that has since gone viral, Putintseva reacted to losing a point by staring down and ignoring the balls offered by the ball girl. She let the balls bounce off her with disdain before eventually taking one, drawing loud groans from the crowd.
Putintseva has since issued a second apology, citing Instagram to further emphasize her excuse that she didn't notice what was happening.
She wrote: “It's a little scary how the world can judge someone based on a three second video someone posts on one side without seeing the rest of what actually happened.
“I was just playing tennis and lost a tough game that was very close (in my opinion) to turning the match around. After the game I was very disappointed and almost cried that I didn't play better.
“At this time the girl was passing me the ball, which I didn't even notice or so, because I was deep in my thoughts. I wasn't trying to humiliate her (or anyone else) by not taking the ball she gave me.
“I didn't do anything disrespectful to anyone at that particular moment. I apologize if that girl thinks that was done to her. I can't say I've been perfect my entire career.”