KEY POINTS

  • Sara Bejlek won the qualifiers to make it to the main draw
  • It was Sara's first-ever appearance in a Grand Slam main draw
  • However, she ended up losing in the first round

Czech Republic tennis player Sara Bejlek has addressed the controversy surrounding a video of her celebrating with her father and coach at the U.S. Open.

Ranked No. 194 in women's singles, Sara made it to the U.S. Open main draw recently after beating British player Heather Watson in the final round of qualifying. Thrilled about her maiden appearance in a Grand Slam's main draw, Sara ran to hug her father, Jaroslav Bejlek, and her coach, Jakub Kahoun, at the side of the court.

However, the celebrations irked some viewers after Sara's father and coach patted her on her backside. The 16-year-old tennis player also shared a kiss with her father on the lips.

Reacting to the uproar at the U.S. Open on Wednesday, Sara described the celebrations as "spontaneous" and said it "won't happen again."

"I saw the video. It was a spontaneous reaction of the whole team. We rejoiced. It may certainly seem inconvenient and uncomfortable to some, but we have already discussed it with the team. It won't happen again," Sara told Czech media outlet iSport.

"Dad is my dad and always will be. And I've known the coach since I was eight years old. He tapes me, he massages me. If something similar happened in the Czech Republic, no one would deal with it. But since we are in America, everyone comments on it. But as I say, we talked and it won't happen again," Sara added.

Sara's first Grand Slam journey ended in her first-round exit at Flushing Meadows. She lost 6-3, 6-1 to Russia's Ludmilla Samsonova.

After the controversial video circulated on social media, one user wrote, "There's absolutely no reason to touch a 16 yo girl on her butt like that. It's beyond inappropriate. As the video progressed it got worse and worse."

Another tweeted, "I'm sorry, I don't care if it's her dad, dad/coach, relative etc. you shouldn't be doing this by patting her on the behind numerous times. I don't want to hear if they do it 'there'. They travel enough probably to know it's not viewed as appropriate. She's 16!!! Not 6!"

On the bright side, Sara's qualification for the U.S. Open main draw meant that despite the controversy, she walked away from the tournament with $80,000, according to Yahoo Sports.

U.S. Open 2022 will go on until Sept. 11 in New York's Flushing Meadows.

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U.S. Open is currently underway at Flushing Meadows, New York.