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.
Yulia Putintseva ignored the ball girl’s attempts to throw the balls towards her, causing the first ball to hit her torso (left), while the second bounced off her feet and rolled away (right).
Putintseva didn’t look at the ball girl as she caught the third ball, while the young girl held out her arms almost in disbelief at what had just happened
Putinseva, 29, was later criticised for her “appalling behaviour” towards the ball girl
The Kazakhstan star has admitted she is ‘a gangster on the pitch but an angel off it’
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.
Putintseva apologized on social media for her actions, saying she was “angry” with herself during the match when it happened during a three-set defeat.
Former US Open champion Boris Becker has criticized Putinseva’s behavior on social media
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.
Putintseva has previously taken her anger out on her rackets before writing about it online
She admits that she knew “ever since I was a kid” that her temper tended to boil when she was on the court
Putinseva, born in Moscow, moved to Kazakhstan in 2012
The 29-year-old is pictured on holiday with Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka
‘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.
After losing to Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open, she barely shook hands with her opponent and the umpire
She then pointed her finger at the crowd, before raising her middle finger to the supporters.
Putin took revenge by giving the audience a middle finger as they left the court
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.
After beating Barbora Strycova in 2019, she gave her an extremely firm handshake
Her opponent was left stunned and in pain after the Kazakh star’s strong hold
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.