Taylor Townsend Faces Booing at Billie Jean Cup Finals After Controversial Remarks on Chinese Culture

Taylor Townsend isn’t having the smoothest time right now. The American, who landed in Shenzhen, China for the Billie Jean King Cup quarterfinal tie with Team USA, kicked off her campaign with controversy instead of cheers. On September 16, the tennis mom gave some blunt feedback about the local cuisine at dinner. Albeit she apologized the very next day, it may take much more to win back favor.

On Thursday, as the doubles World No.1 walked into the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Arena alongside Jessica Pegula, the reception was anything but warm. Townsend was met with loud boos and jeers from the crowd. She didn’t react. Instead, she carried on calmly, heading to the bench, unpacking her kit, and preparing for the match.

For the unversed, two days ago Townsend set off sparks on Instagram while sharing her dinner. On her Story, she showed off the chef’s recommendations, bruised soft-shelled turtle with fish maw and dry pot bullfrog. Stunned, she didn’t hold back: “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.”

The backlash was quick. The very next day, Townsend returned to Instagram with an apology. “I just wanted to come on here and apologize sincerely from the bottom of my heart,” she said, noting her privilege as a professional athlete able to travel and embrace cultural differences.

She went on, “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 apology came swiftly and with sincerity. But the clips that sparked it made clear why the criticism hit so fast. For now, it looks like the tension may take some time to blow over. Not to mention, she was called out by a fellow WTA star as well.

Taylor Townsend earns backlash from China’s No. 1 player

World No. 8 Zheng Qinwen didn’t hold back when she saw Taylor’s reaction to Chinese cuisine. In a sharp social media post, Zheng said Townsend’s comments reeked of “arrogance” and insulted local traditions. “You disrespect Chinese culture with your arrogance. If you want fried chicken, there’s KFC at the airport in Shenzhen,” she wrote, even tagging Townsend directly. Her words struck a chord at home, with Chinese fans quickly rallying behind her for defending their culture.

Townsend isn’t the first player to spark outrage in China. Back in 2024, Paula Badosa found herself in hot water after the China Open. Following her semifinal loss, the Spaniard posted a photo where she appeared to mock a “Chinese face” by pulling her eyes wide with chopsticks. The backlash was instant. Badosa later issued a lengthy apology, saying, “We weren’t even imitating Asian people. I was playing around with my face and wrinkles. Really sorry didn’t know this was offensive towards racism. My mistake. I take full responsibility. These mistakes will make me learn for next time. Hope you understand.”

That same year, Magda Linette made headlines for the wrong reasons too. During a trip to Wuhan, the Polish player shared a photo from a train ride with the caption, “The virus database has been updated,” translated from Polish. The post drew immediate fire, and although she deleted it, the damage was done. When she later faced Liudmila Samsonova in Wuhan, the local crowd welcomed her with hostility.

Linette still won the match and tried to address the controversy. “Can I just say, I know I offended some of you guys,” she said in her post-match interview, before adding, “Thank you so much for being still so nice to me, so thank you so much.” But her attempt got lost in translation when the interviewer told the crowd in Chinese only, “She said thank you. That’s all from us today. The game is over.”

Now all eyes are on Townsend. Her quick apology may have been heartfelt, but with jeers still ringing in arenas, it’s clear this one isn’t going away overnight. Whether she wins the crowd back at the Billie Jean King Cup remains to be seen. What’s your take? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!