Not many players can say they won their maiden title at a Grand Slam, but that was the case for Jelena Ostapenko.
Just two days after turning 20 and ranked No.47 at the time, she fought back against Simona Halep from a set and 3-0 down to claim the 2017 Roland Garros trophy.
This triumph saw her become the first Latvian player to ever win a major, while also propelling her to the brink of the top 10.
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Although Ostapenko hasn’t been able to repeat this major-winning feat yet, her story is far from over.
“I think it was a long time ago, and of course it’s a great achievement, but I want to live in the present and try to achieve that again,” the former world No.5 revealed on this week’s episode of The Sit-Down podcast.
“I think honestly, maybe as a person, if I won a Grand Slam when I was a little bit older, I think I would have handled it a bit better because it took me a few years just to get used to what happened because I come from a really small country. To show everyone that from a small country you can win a Grand Slam and be a top five player it’s an amazing achievement for such a country as Latvia.
“You especially feel all that attention when you’re from a small country, like when you come home, you have attention from everywhere. It’s really nice, but on the other side, it’s a little bit difficult because you kind of lose your focus on practice and all that stuff. I really needed a long time to get used to it.
"If I was older when I won a Grand Slam, it would be a bit easier to deal with that stuff.”
Looking at her 2026 season, the now 28-year-old is committed to returning to the top 10 rankings.
“For me, what is important is to try to be more consistent, at least at the big tournaments. That’s what I’m trying to work on, because I think tennis is a 70, 75 per cent mental game. It’s everything in the head,” Ostapenko shared.
“You can play amazing during practice, you can win all the practice sets and then you go out on the court, and you cannot win a match, so it’s all like mental things.
PODCAST: Listen to Jelena Ostapenko on The Sit-Down
"I’m trying to work more on that and just be more consistent because I’m obviously more mature now. I think it’s better now than never”.
A mainstay of the singles circuit, Ostapenko’s success has also translated to the doubles court; she won the 2024 US Open women’s doubles crown alongside Lyudmyla Kichenok.
“My focus is singles, but in doubles I have no pressure, so I play in a good and relaxed way. I wish I can bring this mentality to my singles,” the world No.23 said.
“You can practice so much, but then you go to the match and play much worse, for example. Doubles for me, it’s less nerves than in singles, but it’s still a match. You still have some match elements to work on, so I think you can take it as good practice for singles.”
Whether she’s winning or not, Ostapenko has become known for wearing her heart on her sleeve – those who come to see her play are guaranteed a match filled with passion and emotion.
“I think it comes naturally, and I’ve been working on that as well. Of course, sometimes it can get too much, but I also feel like if I keep all that inside I’m going to explode at some moment, which is not helpful and not good for me as a tennis player because I’m more emotional than most players,” she acknowledged.
“I think people who understand me, they love it and they like to see that because I’m the way I am. I’m not trying to be someone who people want me to be. I’m myself.”
Listen to the full episode of The Sit-Down, a weekly podcast released each Monday featuring an in-depth interview with a notable tennis identity. Subscribe in your favourite podcast player so you never miss an episode.