Jelena Ostapenko sparked controversy at Wimbledon after appearing to sarcastically applaud the crowd during her first-round victory over British favourite Harriet Dart.
The Latvian recovered to beat the home player 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 on Court 1, with her reaction drawing criticism from commentators and spectators alike.
Ostapenko becomes Wimbledon villain after Dart victory
According to The Sun, the incident came as Dart received vocal backing from the home crowd throughout the contest. At one stage of the deciding set, Ostapenko appeared to clap sarcastically in the direction of the spectators after they applauded a point won by the Brit.
Commentator Chris Bradnam said: “Ostapenko is quite happy to pick a fight with this crowd. She’s taking on over 12,000 in here.” Tennis legend Martina Navratilova also expressed her disagreement with Ostapenko’s move. She told BBC Sport, “Yeah, that’s not a good idea for Ostapenko. They’re not applauding the fact she double-faulted. They’re applauding the fact that Harriet Dart broke her and is back on serve. These days that kind of reaction is to be expected, but I understand it can still be frustrating.”
The player apologized saying it was wrong to antagonize the crowd, saying, “Sorry if I was a little bit emotional, but I feel like the first round is always tough, especially when you face somebody from here.”
Ostapenko said that it was a “roller coaster” of a game and that it is always challenging when she faces somebody “local”. “I feel like I’m angry in a good way and I just want to prove wrong that like, you guys are not supporting the right person,” she said, adding, “Not in this case because she is from here and this is a good crowd from here. I just wanted to prove that you guys should support me in the next match.”
The victory sends world No. 31 Ostapenko into the second round, while Britain’s Harriet Dart, ranked No. 122, exits the tournament after a spirited performance in front of her home crowd.
WHO DID YOU SUPPORT IN THE GAME?
Originally reported by Sreemanti Sengupta for Reality Tea
