Russian tennis star Anastasia Potapova held nothing back when describing a recent encounter with a flight attendant on a United Airlines flight ahead of the 2026 US Open.
“I have never done anything like this before, but right now I simply cannot stay silent,” Potapova, 25, wrote via her Instagram Story on Wednesday, August 26, according to the New York Post. “As a professional athlete, I travel extensively all over the world, but this is the first time I have ever experienced this level of disrespect, rudeness, and, to some extent, discrimination”
The No. 28 player in the world was traveling from Houston to New York with her dog when she encountered the flight attendant, whom she referred to as Mary.
“To me, flight attendants are supposed to be there to help passengers, not create problems for them,” she continued. “Today, on my flight from Houston to New York, flight UA678, I encountered a flight attendant who repeatedly seemed to go out of her way to cause problems for me for no apparent reason.”
Potapova didn’t get into specifics about what those problems were, but she added that Mary “was extremely rude both to me personally and in the way she treated my dog. She also repeatedly brought up my status and threatened to remove me from the flight because of it.”
“I truly hope that your airline will look into this situation and take it seriously, because no passenger — and no animal — deserves to be treated in such a humiliating and disrespectful way, especially by a member of the cabin crew,” she concluded.
Potapova also shared a photo of the flight attendant in question, according to the Daily Mail, along with a reply from a follower who said they “had the same problem with that same woman.” She also told followers that she has been in communication with the airline over the alleged incident.
Potapova has brought her dog, Bula, with her to events before, notably taking the pup out to meet fans at the 2026 French Open, according to video shared via Instagram by the Roland Garros account.
She will compete at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York in the women’s singles draw as the No. 24 seed, just days after withdrawing from the Monterrey Open due to a back injury.
Potapova reached the semifinals of the Madrid Open last year, becoming the first woman to reach that stage of a WTA 1000 event as a “lucky loser,” or someone who loses in the qualifying rounds but advances due to someone else needing to withdraw.
