Anastasia Potapova encountered a challenging situation while traveling to the US Open.
On Wednesday, she shared an incident involving a flight attendant during a United Airlines journey from Houston to New York on her Instagram Stories, even posting a picture of her opponent.
“I have never done anything like this before, but I really can’t stay silent right now,” Potapova expressed. “As a professional athlete, I travel a lot around the world, but this is the first time I’ve been treated with such disrespect, rudeness, and even what feels like discrimination. I believe flight attendants should assist passengers, not create issues for them.”
“Today, on my flight UA678 from Houston to New York, I was confronted by a flight attendant who seemed determined to cause me problems without any reason. She was quite rude to me and my dog. She repeatedly mentioned my status and even threatened to have me removed from the flight.”
“Her name is Mary. I sincerely hope your airline will investigate this matter and take it seriously; no passenger — or animal — deserves such humiliating and disrespectful treatment, especially from a crew member.”
Potapova later informed her Instagram followers that she was in touch with United Airlines regarding the incident.
The Russian tennis player recently withdrew from the Monterrey Open due to a back injury, but the fact that she’s heading to New York suggests she might be ready to participate in the upcoming US Open, which kicks off on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old made headlines in 2026 as the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal at the Madrid Open.
Potapova reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 21 in June 2023 and is currently ranked No. 27.
