US tennis star apologizes after backlash over comments on Chinese food

American tennis player Taylor Townsend has issued a public apology following a wide outburst of comments criticizing her remarks on traditional Chinese food as she competed in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen.

The world’s top-ranked doubles player shared stories on her Instagram account in response to the local cuisine, including braised soft-shell turtle, bullfrog, and sea cucumber, which she tried at a restaurant.

In the videos, she said that the food looked like “the craziest thing she had ever seen” and also inquired, "Are those not poisonous? Her comments were quickly condemned on social media in China and internationally.

“These people are literally killing frogs... bullfrogs. Aren't those poisonous? Aren't those the ones that be giving you warts and boils and stuff? And turtles?... All in all I'd give this like a solid two out of 10 so far, because this is crazy,” Townsend said then.

Her remarks were disrespectful and offensive to many users on Weibo where the hashtag “American tennis player publicly insults Chinese food” was the most viewed, with more than 50 million views.

“When you are abroad, observe the local traditions. You can choose not to eat it,” one user wrote.

In a follow-up video, Townsend, 29, apologized and said, “There's no excuse, there's no words and, for me, I will be better.”

“I understand that I am so privileged as a professional athlete to be able to travel all around the world and experience cultural differences, which is one of the things I love so much about what I do,” she added.

The incident takes place less than a month after Townsend was involved in an on-court altercation with a Latvian player, Jelena Ostapenko, who claimed that she had "no class."

The U.S. team, together with Townsend, will play their quarter-final game against Kazakhstan on Thursday, September 18.