Tennis player Yulia Putintseva was booed for her unprofessional treatment of a ball girl at the US Open. The Kazakhstani star was losing the first set and going 4-2 down in the second against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini when she blatantly ignored the young girl.
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.
“Disgusting arrogance by Yulia Putintseva, the ball girl should have thrown the third one in her taunting face,” added British media personality Piers Morgan.
Image credits: @MerThomp
In addition to criticism from high-profile figures, the Russian-born player was condemned by thousands of netizens.
“They treat these people subhuman, and it’s high time they handle this accordingly. Sick of this,” one of them wrote.
“No excuse to treat people like this, especially a kid on a summer job who’s probably nervous to begin with. Glad Paolini dispatched her,” said another.
An additional user called for a “verbal warning” for the player regarding this type of behavior. “Do it again and cop a code violation. She needs to grow up.”
“Players should be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for bad behavior. They will stop doing this. Money is the only language,” another proposed.
The 29-year-old stood still as the tennis balls hit her body and rolled away, while the crowd expressed their disapproval of her antics
Image credits: @MerThomp
Others said they wouldn’t have been able to keep their composure as well as the ball girl did. “Oh, I would have dropped all those balls and walked away from her.”
“Bravo for the attitude of the young tournament worker, who maintained her professionalism,” a separate netizen chimed in.
Image credits: @MerThomp
Putintseva later apologized to the ball girl via Instagram, attributing her behavior to the sour feeling of losing the game.
“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.”
Watch the video below
@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.
That year, the 29-year-old lost 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, and she demonstrated her frustration by storming off the court and flipping off the audience.
At the same tournament, Putintseva shook opponent Barbora Strycova’s hand too firmly after winning the first-round game against her.
“I like to squeeze [people’s] hands normally, but she squeezed me, like, hardcore!” the Czech player said after the incident.
Her defiant attitude drew criticism from tennis legend Boris Becker, who condemned her “terrible behavior” online
Image credits: yulia_putintseva
During a 2011 interview with the Times, Putintseva discussed how she deals with the obstacles that each game presents.
“I think I’ve started to do better now handling — not the pressure, but when things are not going in the right direction,” she said.
Image credits: yulia_putintseva
Venus Williams, who has defeated Putintseva in four out of the five matches they’ve played, described her as a “fighter.”
“She’s a tough player; she’s really hungry,” Williams said. “I feel like she gives 200 percent on every single point. She’s a fighter.”
Putintseva has won three singles titles on the WTA Tour, organized by the Women’s Tennis Association. She has reached the quarterfinals of Grand Slam tournaments three times: twice at the French Open and once at the US Open.
People slammed Putintseva’s behavior on social media, saying the tennis player had left her manners at home
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