Donald Young Accuses Ryan Harrison Of Racist Remarks During Tennis Match

Ryan Harrison defeated fellow American tennis player Donald Young 6-3, 7-6(4) yesterday at the New York Open. During a changeover in the first set, the two players had a dispute that got heated enough for the umpire to descend from his perch and defuse the situation. Unfortunately the broadcast barely carried any of the audio, but you can watch it here:

After Harrison won the match, Young did not offer much of his hand for a shake, and Harrison appears to shout something in his direction:

Young later wrote that he was “shocked and disappointed” that Harrison told him “how you really feel about me as a black tennis player.”

Harrison denied the accusations.

Andrew Jones, covering this event for TennisNow, identified a woman named Valentina Lee as Young’s girlfriend, noted that she was at the match, and linked to her account of the exchange between Young and Harrison. Deadspin has reached out to her to confirm this account and will update based on her response.

The tour is investigating the incident, per reporter Eleanor Crooks:

The ATP takes any allegations of racial prejudice extremely seriously. A further review of all video and audio recording from the match will take place as this matter is investigated further.