American Tennis Player Taylor Townsend Apologizes for ‘Offensive’ Remarks on Traditional Food

US professional star Taylor Townsend has released an statement of regret after receiving widespread criticism for remarks she shared on social media regarding traditional Chinese cuisine.

The 29-year-old, who is presently in Shenzhen for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, had previously shared clips on Instagram in which she reacted to meals including bullfrogs, turtles, and marine delicacies.

She described the food as “the craziest thing” she had ever seen, adding, “I need to talk to HR… consuming turtle and bullfrog is WILD.”

Her comments quickly attracted strong reactions on both English and Chinese online communities.

The athlete, who is the world’s top-ranked tennis professional in doubles, later apologized, saying, “There’s no excuse, words cannot justify it and, for me, I will be better.”

“I realize that I am so privileged as a professional athlete to be able to journey all around the world and encounter cultural differences, which is one of the things I appreciate so much about my career,” she said in a clip uploaded to Instagram.

She added that she had “an incredible experience” at the tournament.

Prior to that, she had posted her thoughts to meals such as turtle stew and dry pot bullfrog, which are regarded as traditional specialties in China, especially in the southern part of the country.

In her original video, she asked, “Are these toxic? Are these the ones that cause warts and boils and stuff?”

She also posted another video in which she and fellow player Hailey Baptiste were seen joking about a sea cucumber offered at a dining area.

Social media users were swift to react. One individual on X wrote, “Won’t defend Taylor here, clearly disrespectful and reveals a lack of understanding regarding the fact there are diverse customs other than America.”

Another commented, “It’s really offensive to ridicule other people’s cultural food.”

On local social media, the topic “American tennis player publicly insults Chinese food” started trending.

One Weibo user commented, “When you go overseas, respect the local customs and culture. You can opt not to eat it. There is no need to disparage our food.”

This incident occurs less than a month after Townsend was engaged in a heated confrontation with Latvian rival Jelena Ostapenko, who had previously made remarks about Townsend’s conduct on the court.

The player and her teammates are set to face Kazakhstan in the quarter finals on the upcoming match day.