Anastasia Potapova accuses United Airlines of discrimination

Tennis professional Anastasia Potapova has publicly accused United Airlines of discrimination and disrespect following an incident on flight UA678 from Houston to New York. The world No. 25, who recently began representing Austria, shared her experience on Instagram ahead of the US Open.

Potapova alleged that a flight attendant named Mary was extremely rude to both her and her dog. The athlete claimed the crew member repeatedly went out of her way to cause problems and used Potapova’s status as a professional athlete to threaten her with removal from the aircraft.

Potapova stated, “I have never done anything like this before, but right now I simply cannot stay silent,” noting that despite her extensive global travel, she had never encountered this level of treatment. She has called on United Airlines to investigate the matter and ensure better treatment for passengers and animals.