Why Do Tennis Players Apologize for Net Cords? Taylor Townsend’s Controversy Raises Questions

Yesterday on Court 11, Taylor Townsend powered past No. 25 seed Jelena Ostapenko with a fierce 7-5, 6-1 win, but the real drama erupted after the final point. At the net, instead of a routine handshake, Ostapenko lashed out, accusing Townsend of breaking tennis etiquette by not apologizing for a net-cord winner. Three times, the fiery Latvian appeared to tell the American, who is Black, that she has “no education.” The trigger? A single ball brushes the tape, igniting a storm. Why did Ostapenko rip into Townsend so brutally over something so small? Tennis may have asked the question, but we’re here to deliver the answer.

Ostapenko stormed out of the gates in their US Open clash, redlining with her trademark go-for-broke fury. For nearly half an hour, Taylor Townsend, world No. 1 in doubles and one of the rising fan favorites in American tennis, looked helpless against the Latvian’s relentless barrage. But then, as often happens with Ostapenko, the rocket fire cooled. Her timing dipped, her accuracy wavered, and Townsend found a way in.

The turning point came late in the first set. Ostapenko moved forward, preparing to close at the net. Townsend ripped a groundstroke that clipped the tape and popped high into the air, forcing Ostapenko into a desperate stretch to barely shovel the ball back. Townsend, stunned the shot even went over, had the easiest of putaways. Fueled by momentum and a touch of fortune, she rode that surge all the way to the finish line, sealing a 7-5, 6-1 victory.

But the story didn’t end with the scoreboard. At the net, where players are supposed to bury the hatchet, Ostapenko seethed. For her, the lack of a raised hand, that brief, almost symbolic apology for a net-cord winner, lingered like a wound. What seemed a moment of luck had detonated into an on-court feud that carried over into the post-match fury.

 

“Sorry for the first set!” @janniksin can only apologise for the net cord in the opening set #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/tuaQ4g34J0

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 7, 2023

Now, the question is: was it really that big of a deal? Tennis says yes, and no. Net-cords are tricky little devils: tiny deflections that can turn winners into errors, errors into winners. A ball can dribble over for a cheap point, kick up into a sitter, or just barely alter its path. And across this spectrum of outcomes, tradition has dictated one thing: if you gain the point off the net, you raise your hand. A gesture. An acknowledgment of luck. A small nod to fairness.

And if you don’t? Hurt feelings. Righteous indignation. Maybe even an outburst or two. Ostapenko isn’t the first, nor will she be the last, to let the lack of a hand-raise boil her blood. Tennis history is littered with net-cord flare-ups that turned ordinary matches into defining rivalries.

Take Miami 2018. A Russian ranked 52nd faced a Greek ranked 70th, and nobody cared. Daniil Medvedev vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas was, on paper, a first-round filler. Medvedev won 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. But when Tsitsipas failed to apologize for a net cord, sparks flew. 

At the handshake, Medvedev let rip: “Man, you better shut your f** up, okay? Hey Stefanos, you want to look at me and talk?” He piled on: “You go emergency toilet for five minutes during [the third set} and then you hit let, and you don’t say sorry. You think you are a good kid?” That was no small spat, it was the birth of a rivalry that would follow them for years.

Or look at Auckland, 2023. Jenson Brooksby, then the young American disruptor, clashed with Fabio Fognini at the ASB Classic. Fognini wanted an apology for a net cord; Brooksby waved it off. “It’s gonna happen in the heat of the battle. He (Fognini) said I should apologize for net cords, but I was taught that it’s not really luck-based,” Brooksby shrugged. The Italian didn’t let it slide; he mocked him later on Instagram: “So funny, love new generation.” The insult wasn’t just playful banter; it was generational warfare.

But not every net-cord comes with finger-pointing. Some become part of legend. Wimbledon 1980: Borg vs. McEnroe. Fourth-set tiebreaker. McEnroe saves match point with a ball that smudges the net tape and trickles over. No apology, no outrage. Both players put their heads down and marched back to the baseline. 

Nine years later in Paris, Michael Chang, already immortal for his underhand serve against Ivan Lendl, struck again. His passing shot clipped the net and tumbled over. No, sorry, just raw defiance, fists pumping, eyes blazing. In those moments, apology wasn’t etiquette; it was irrelevant.

Even in modern times, not every player skips the gesture. At the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Jannik Sinner brushed off Marcos Giron in straight sets. At the handshake, Sinner muttered, “Sorry for the first set!”, a nod to a net cord that still sat with him. Some players still carry the tradition, even if it isn’t written in stone.

And here’s the twist: the rule isn’t even a rule. The USTA doesn’t list net-cord apologies in its code of conduct. No official handbook demands it. It’s entirely unwritten, floating somewhere between sportsmanship and superstition. 

Mats Wilander, a seven-time Slam champion, admits players “did it back in his day,” but YouTube is full of footage where no such gestures exist. In other words, it’s as much folklore as it is etiquette.

So why, then, did Ostapenko react the way she did? Maybe because unwritten rules cut deeper than official ones. Maybe because in the heat of defeat, every little slight feels like disrespect. 

Or maybe because Ostapenko has always played with fire in her veins, and Townsend’s silence was gasoline. Whatever the reason, the moment overshadowed the match, igniting a broader conversation on whether net-cord apologies are meaningful respect or meaningless habit.

And Townsend? She walked away with the win and the storm. But she didn’t walk away alone. Across the tennis world, players and fans rallied around her, pointing out that she owed no apology for sheer luck and certainly not for being on the receiving end of insults. What should have been a footnote became a headline. What should have been a shrug turned into a battle line. 

And in the end, the net cord, just a sliver of tape on the court, once again became the thread that stitched controversy deep into tennis history.

Naomi Osaka speaks out on Townsend–Ostapenko feud

Naomi Osaka is back in the spotlight at the US Open, not just for her smooth 6-3, 6-1 win over Hailey Baptiste recently, but for stepping into one of the most heated controversies of the tournament. When the post-match press conference turned to the Taylor Townsend–Jelena Ostapenko altercation, Osaka didn’t flinch. She admitted she had seen it all, after all, the clip seemed to replay on TV every 15 minutes.

So, what did Osaka really think? Her words were blunt and powerful. “I think, obviously, it’s one of the worst things that you can say to a black tennis player in a majority white sport. And granted, I know Taylor and I know how hard she’s worked, and I know how smart she is, so she’s the furthest thing from uneducated or anything like that.”

For Osaka, this wasn’t just about an etiquette spat. It was about context, history, and the weight of words. She didn’t let Ostapenko off lightly either. “I think it’s ill timing and the worst person you could have ever said it to. And I don’t think that she knows the history of it in America. But I know she’s never gonna say that ever again in her life. But yeah, I mean, it’s just terrible. Like that’s just really bad.”

Tennis: Mubadala Citi DC Open Jul 25, 2025 Washington, D.C., USA Taylor Townsend USA reacts after winning a point against Leylah Fernandez CANnot pictured in a women s singles quarter final of the Mubadala Citi DC Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Washington Rock Creek Park Tennis Center D.C. USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGeoffxBurkex 20250725_gkb_sb4_098

And Osaka wasn’t the only one moved. Coco Gauff, fresh from her own emotional win over Donna Vekic, was asked the same question, and her response came from the heart. She didn’t talk tactics or tennis politics. 

She talked about family, loyalty, and identity. “I really hate to see that, you know, maybe this is some of the first people hearing who Taylor Townsend is. And I don’t want that to be the main focus of who she is. Because she’s a lot more than that. She’s a mom, she’s a great friend, she’s a talented tennis player. And a good person.”

For Gauff, the frustration was evident. She wanted fans to see Townsend for her brilliance, not just a headline feud. “At the end of this tournament, I hope people will do a deep dive into her and get to know her more than what was said in the previous match.”

So here’s the question that lingers beyond the net-cord drama: whose side are you really on? Ostapenko’s? Townsend’s? Do we need stricter rules, or simply more humanity in sport? 

The comment section, as always, is wide open and yours…

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