Yulia Putintseva criticised for humiliating US Open ball girl in embarrassing interaction

Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva had to publicly apologize after her third-round loss to Jasmine Paolini, after being criticized on social media for a disrespectful interaction with a US Open ball girl.

A video on social media showed the embarrassing moment when Putintseva appeared to give the ball girl the cold shoulder during the second set of their 6-3, 6-4 loss on Saturday.

Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan reacts during a match against Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the third round of the U.S. Open, Saturday, August 31, 2024, in New York City. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

A visibly frustrated Putintseva stood motionless as the ball girl took her two Tennis balls, She let each one bounce against her before finally trying to catch the third.

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The interaction immediately sparked fierce boos from the crowd and an even fiercer reaction on social media.

“Everyone should respect ball kids equally. They work hard too. Respect,” one person wrote in a post on X.

“Totally disrespectful behavior, she is a terrible role model,” added another.

“You can tell a lot about a person's character by how they treat those under them,” said another post.

Ben Shelton of the USA fist bumps the ball boy during the men's singles third round match against Frances Tiafoe of the USA on day five of the 2024 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 30, 2024. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

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The criticism prompted Putintseva to post an apology on her own social media.

She explained that her anger was directed at her own performance and that she was “deep in my thoughts” when the embarrassing exchange occurred.

“I want to apologize to the ball girl for my behavior when she gave me the balls. Honestly, it wasn't about her. I was really mad at myself for not being able to win the game from the break point and then I was emotionally empty and deep in my thoughts because I hadn't even focused on what was going on and who was giving me the ball… All the ball girls [were] is doing great at the Open as always.”

Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan reacts against Jasmine Paolini of Italy during their women's singles third round match on day six of the 2024 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the New York borough of Queens. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

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Putintseva's US Open tour ended in the third round after a loss to Italian Jasmine Poalini. She moves into the round of 16, where she will face Karolina Muchova.

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