Tennis star Yulia Putintseva shares ‘scary’ fallout to ball girl drama at US Open

Ben Sutton
7NEWS Sport
The Kazakhstani tennis star showed contempt for the young girl who was trying to help.

Kazakhstani tennis player Yulia Putintseva has issued another public apology and offered another angle of the controversial moment with a ball girl that saw her booed relentlessly at the US Open.

Putintseva copped the wrath of the tennis world for appearing to ignore the young girl during an ugly moment in her third-round loss to Italian fifth seed Jasmine Paolini.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Yulia Putintseva booed for treatment of US Open ball kid.

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Frustrated with how she was playing, the No.30 seed didn’t move an inch as the youngster tried to pass her balls for her next serve.

Footage of the moment went viral online, where the 29-year-old could be seen ignoring two balls before finally grabbing the third one.

Yulia Putintseva was booed for her behaviour.
Yulia Putintseva was booed for her behaviour. Credit: Meredith Thompson

Fans in the stadium were clued on to the moment as soon as it happened, drowning Putintseva in boos before cheering against her for the rest of the match.

Former world No.1 Boris Becker and outspoken Aussie retired Aussie Rennae Stubbs were among those to label her “disrespectful” and “obnoxious”.

Putintseva apologised after the incident before issuing another lengthy statement on Thursday — five days after it took place.

In her new statement, she posted a photo of another angle, which shows her not even looking at the ball girl.

Putintseva said it was “scary” how she was judged so harshly from one little video.

She also said that she has spoken with the ball girl, Kate, who understood “it was nothing towards her”.

Putintseva released a new angle of the incident.
Putintseva released a new angle of the incident. Credit: Instagram

“It’s kind of scary the way world can judge someone from just a three-second video, that someone post from one side, without seeing the rest (of) what was really happening,” she wrote on Instagram.

“I was just playing tennis and lost a tough game, which was very close (in my opinion) to turn that match around. After the game (as you can see in the pic) I got very much disappointed and was almost crying, that I didn’t do better.

“At this time the girl was (giving) me the ball, which I didn’t even notice or so, because I was deep in my thoughts.

“I was not trying to humiliate her (or anyone) by not taking this ball that she was given to me.

“I didn’t do anything disrespectful to anyone at this particular moment. I do apologise, if this girl thinks that it was something towards her. (And btw her name is Kate, very nice girl, which understood that it was nothing towards her)

“I can’t say that I am perfect all my career. I am getting angry on court, pissed, saying stupid stuff and curse like no tomorrow sometimes😂 Guilty of that. But I did never put myself “on top” of someone. That’s just not me at all.

“Hope you guys can see it now from the different angle now. I mean, I know that haters gonna hate and this message is getting way too long, so I am going to stop right here😅.”

Putintseva also added that she is planning to do “something special” for Kate for being “involved in this mess”.

Originally published on 7NEWS Sport

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