Just last month at the U.S. Open, Taylor Townsend found herself garnering sympathy when Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko told her she had “no education,” and allegedly made racial remarks. Fast forward to the Billie Jean King Cup in Shenzhen, China, and the tables seem to have turned: Townsend is now at the center of a different kind of social media scrutiny of her own creation. What began as a simple pre-quarterfinal dinner spiraled into an online storm once videos of Townsend unfavorably reacting to a buffet of local Chinese delicacies from sea cucumbers to bullfrogs went viral. 

Today, the World No. 1 in doubles took to Instagram stories to apologize for the backlash online. “I just wanted to come on here and apologize sincerely from the bottom of my heart,” said Townsend, who said she understood how privileged she is as a professional athlete to be able to travel around the world and experience cultural differences.

“(It’s) one of the things that I love so much about what I do, and I have had nothing but the most amazing experience in time here and the tournament,” Townsend said. “Everyone has been so kind and so gracious. And the things that I said were not representative of that at all. And I just truly wanted to apologize. There’s no excuse, there are no words. And for me, I just, I will be better.” The world’s No. 1 in doubles’ apology may have been immediate and heartfelt, but her videos still revealed why the criticism had been so swift. 

Townsend had taken to Instagram to share her personal surprise to some of the food she saw being served at a dinner during Team USA’s stay in Shenzhen, including dishes like soft-shelled turtle, bullfrog, and what she described as an “animal lung.” “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen… and people eating this… Imma have to talk to HR… because what the hell… turtle and bullfrog is wild,” she said, later adding, “You guys, this is crazy. This angle is f—– nuts. I’ve never seen one of these up close, especially not to eat. That is crazy.” 

​​But these dishes are traditional delicacies in China, particularly in the south. Her words, although spontaneous, intersected with longstanding American stereotypes of Chinese food as exotic or unappetizing— narratives that were amplified during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because unfortunately, Townsend is far from the first tennis player to run afoul of cultural sensitivities during the Asian swing of the tour. 

During last year’s stretch of hard-court tournaments in Asia, from September to November, Polish player Magda Linette attempted to apologize for posting “the virus database has been updated” under a photo taken on a train from Beijing to Wuhan for the Wuhan Open, only to be cut short during her on-court interview. Spain’s Paula Badosa also issued an apology for a photo in which she pulled back her eyelids with chopsticks. 

Amid the controversy and cultural shocks, Townsend added that she has had the “most amazing experience” at the tournament. She and her teammates are now turning their focus back to the court, preparing to face Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals on Thursday.