Tennis’s sorest loser! US Open star who ‘humiliated’ a ball girl says she’s a ‘gangster on the court’ – and has a history of bad behaviour

Kazakh tennis player Yulia Putintseva has become the talk of the US Open after she ‘humiliated’ a ball girl during her third-round loss.

The 29-year-old looked frustrated after her 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Jasmine Paolini, but it was her antics during the match that caught the attention.

The ball girl tried to throw the balls to her before accepting the serve, but Putintseva made no attempt to catch the balls and instead stood still.

She immediately faced criticism from a number of prominent figures, including legendary man Boris Becker, before apologising for her actions in a social media post.

While she may have asked for forgiveness this time around, Putintseva is no stranger to controversy on the pitch. In this article, Mail Sport delves into her turbulent past.

Before we delve deeper into the 29-year-old’s history, it’s important to understand what caused the controversy on Saturday afternoon.

The Kazakh player lost the first set to Paolini and trailed 4-2 in the second set, with an ugly moment when a ball girl tried to throw the ball to her before she took her serve.

Putintseva stared blankly at the ball girl, her arms at her sides, making no attempt to catch the balls. Instead, she simply watched the balls roll off her feet—which was met with boos from the fans.

The 29-year-old woman has since apologized for her actions via social media and wrote: ‘I want to apologize to the ball girl for the way I was when she gave me balls.

‘Honestly, it wasn’t about her. I was really pissed off at myself for not winning the match from break point and then I was so empty of my emotions and deep in my thoughts that I didn’t even focus on what was going on and who gave me the ball.

‘All the ball boys were [sic] ‘As always, things are going great at the Open.’

Becker, who won the US Open in 1989, wrote after a video of the moment was posted on social media: ‘Who does Putinseva think she is… terrible behavior towards the ball girl.’

His tweet was in response to a tweet calling it an “ugly moment” during the match.

Piers Morgan also criticised Putin’s “disgusting arrogance” on social media.

He wrote: ‘Disgusting arrogance of @PutintsevaYulia – the ball girl should have thrown the third in her face.’

The incident shocked many US Open viewers, but those who know Putintseva will be aware of her fiery character traits.

In 2022, the Russian-born star declared: “I am like a gangster on the pitch, but like an angel off it,” after beating Kaja Juvan in Rome.

After saving two match points, she dropped her racket and let out a loud cry: ‘Forza!’, as she always did.

She then explained that her upbringing has shaped her into the player she is today, but admitted there was “too much fire” on the court as a junior.

“I knew it since I was a kid. My father always said to me, ‘Yulia, your mood on the field is sometimes too much.’ But his mood was sometimes too much too.

“We were both tough characters when we worked together. But outside it was a lot of love and relaxation time. We never really fought outside the field. But always on the field.

‘Earlier in the juniors I was rushing. I was wild, too much fire. Now I have more control over myself. In important moments I become calmer. I understand what I have to do.’

Perhaps her biggest on-court controversy came in 2019, when she lost at the Australian Open and flipped the middle finger to the crowd.

Putintseva lost in the second round to Belinda Bencic, who won 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.

After the match, Putintseva barely shook hands, except for a handshake with Bencic and the referee, before leaving the field.

Then, as she left the stadium to the cheers of the crowd, she pointed her finger at the spectators and then raised her middle finger to the stands.

As fans reacted to the odd behavior, they reminded each other that Putinseva had given an overly aggressive handshake just one round earlier.

After winning her first round match against Barbora Strycova, she had a typically fiery moment with her opponent at the net, squeezing her opponent hard.

Strycova appeared confused and in pain from the incident before clarifying: ‘I like to squeeze my hand normally, but she squeezed me, so hard! These bones — ouch! Ouch!’.

Putinseva’s fiery reputation has become known to her peers and even to players like Venus Williams, who has won four of their five meetings on the court.

Williams said, when asked about Putintseva’s character on the court: “She’s a tough player; she’s really hungry. I feel like she gives 200 percent at every point. She’s a fighter.”

While the 29-year-old is no stranger to controversy on the pitch, she has also been embroiled in drama off it in the past.

Born in Moscow, Putinseva moved to Kazakhstan in 2012 after feeling passed over by the Russian Tennis Federation when she was denied a wildcard for the Kremlin Cup the previous year.

She then explained: ‘I have a great relationship with Kazakhstan at the moment, but I mean, life is long.

“You never know what’s going to happen. So right now I’m happy with what I have, but everything can change.”

Poeintseva was scheduled to compete at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, but she missed the competition due to a knee injury.

She has also been particularly outspoken during the Covid-19 pandemic, even posting a photo of herself on social media holding a sign that read, “We need fresh air to breathe,” after quarantining indoors.