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ROLAND GARROS

June 8, 2017

Jelena Ostapenko

Paris, France

J. OSTAPENKO/T. Bacsinszky

7-6, 3-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. About an hour or so after the win. How are you feeling? Have you started to understand this moment?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah. I'm really happy with my win today and was really tough match. I think was a battle. Yeah, I'm really happy to be in the final, especially on my birthday. I think it's a nice gift.

Q. How important was that first set, especially with the short break where she had to take the medical timeout? And it felt like a seesaw, really up and down, tough battle. How tough was it to clinch that first set?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, she was playing great in the first set. She was changing the rhythm also, playing aggressive sometimes, making dropshots.

I was just trying to stay aggressive and to go for a shot when I could.

I think it was kind of important that I won the first set, even the second I lost, but in the third set I found my game again.

Q. Your forehand is some shot. Does that always come naturally to you? Is it your favorite stroke?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: My forehand? Normally, no, my backhand is my favorite shot. But I was working on the forehand, and I think it's pretty good now (smiling).

Q. Do you think it's improved a lot?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think I feel more confident with my forehand now, yeah.

Q. Happy Birthday.
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Thank you.

Q. You're so young. You're playing today in front of a stadium full of fans to get to a Grand Slam final. Can you take a moment and tell us your feelings out there? Were you feeling tension, nervousness, or did you feel free and happiness?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, in some moments I felt a little bit tight because it was already, like, semifinal and I was -- I won the first set, especially, and was very close to make the final and some thoughts were in my mind. But then I was just trying to be calm and just to try to play my game and just enjoy every moment.

Q. If you could say one word to summarize this experience, this incredible run to the final, one word or phrase you could think of, what would that be?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: It's just -- I don't know. I think I'm doing great job here, and I'm enjoying time.

Q. You hadn't been to the second week of a Grand Slam tournament. You're still very young, early in your career. Are you surprised by the fact that you are going to be playing for a Grand Slam title on Saturday?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, when I came here, of course I didn't expect I would be in the final. But then, like, first match was a tough match, as well, and I won it. I think it kind of gave me confidence.

Then every match I was playing better and better and I got my confidence, and I think it works pretty well.

Q. Can I just ask, check a biographical detail? I think the media guides said your dad was a professional footballer; is that correct?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, he used to play football in Ukraine.

Q. For which team, can you tell us?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I honestly don't know which team, but I think something like -- no, I don't know, actually. I don't know. Sorry.

Q. Which city?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think it's a small city called Zaporizhia.

Q. It's not small.
JELENA OSTAPENKO: It's near Dnipro.

Q. First semifinal, did this match feel any different for you today? Was there anything about it that felt a little bit bigger or more stressful or anything compared to matches that you normally play?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I was a little bit stressful, but not a lot today. As I said, I was already in the semis, and I was just trying to enjoy the game and just to show my best.

Q. I assume tennis isn't that huge in Latvia. You're a young player. How do you go about developing? I know you had some assistance from the Grand Slam Development Fund in terms of financial and everything, but how does that all come together when you come from a kind of small country where tennis is, I assume, not that popular?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, actually when I was younger, the ITF was helping me a lot, and I really appreciate it. Yes, that's the thing, because I come from, like, a really small country and probably needed their support.

Q. How will you celebrate your birthday? How will you prepare for the final?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I mean, today I'm just gonna have fun with my family and my friends. Tomorrow I'm going to practice and get ready for the final.

Q. Birthday cake?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I think so (smiling).

Q. When you imagined winning a Grand Slam title, which I'm sure you have dreamed about this before, did you think it would be on clay or in 2017? Does anything about this surprise you or does this feel about right?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, it's not really about the clay, because here I think clay is totally different from all other clay court tournaments.

Yeah, I think I'm playing, like, good this week, so yeah.

Q. Were there moments in the match, either in the second set when you fell behind or in the third set after going up a break and she broke back, were there moments where you got down on yourself or discouraged at all?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think in the second set, yes, when I lost the game 3-All and I lost my serve from 40-Love, that kind of was deciding game and she won 6-3.

Third set, no, I was just trying to fight for every point. And even I lost -- I was, I think, up with a break and then I lost my serve again, but then I managed to finish the set.

Q. Maybe after that break in the second set or after losing the second set, what did you think or tell yourself to be able to get back in the match and think positively?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I was just trying to enjoy the match. Because, yeah, she was playing pretty well, and I was telling myself that I have to still play aggressive but to be, like, smarter and to not make many unforced errors. And I think it helped me that I was still playing very aggressive.

Q. Congratulations and Happy Birthday. I wanted to ask, is tennis a popular sport in your country, in Latvia? Have you got any idea already about the reaction there in your country and how people are celebrating your success already?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think, no, tennis is actually not popular in our country, because it's -- I mean, you have to -- it's kind of expensive sport.

I think, yeah, probably I will have a lot of attention when I come back home (smiling).

Q. May I ask you, when you start to play tennis, did you have money enough? I mean, your family. And also, how come that you speak so well English? Where did you learn it? Where did you go? Something before you became good and professional? When did you really start playing tennis day after day, hours after hours, and doing everything else?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I mean, of course there were tough moments, but there was a lot of support from my family and some other, like, good people.

Yeah, I did, I think, like the ballroom dancing also from 5 to 12 with the tennis. Maybe when I was, like, 15 or something I started really to focus on tennis more. Yeah. I forgot the question. Sorry.

Q. Some players play tennis and they are very serious, just one expression. You show us your feelings. You're happy, you're frustrated, you're angry, you're joyous. Talk about that. Does that help you relax? Has that been something you have to change? Talk about where that comes from, all those expressions and feelings you show.
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think sometimes you feel, like, better when you let your emotions out sometimes, but you have to know the border because sometimes you have to be a bit calmer.

But, yeah, for example, to say "Come on" or something, I feel better when I do this. I motivate myself.

Q. Generally, how much do you stick in a match to a game plan that you choose before the match, or how much do you play by instinct? Timea said you go for shots that she just doesn't think other people would go for, barely above the net, right in the corner of the court. How does that balance for you, following a game plan but also playing by gut instinct?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, I try to follow the game plan, but sometimes during the match I have to make some changes because I can see the opponent is playing a bit different or I have to just -- I cannot play always the same, because the opponent will read my game.

Q. Can you look ahead to the final, either Simona or Karolina and your thoughts?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I mean, both of them are great players. I'm already in the final. I'm just going to go there and enjoy the match.

Q. We have seen you play great matches on the tour and maybe two matches in a tournament, maybe three. But these have been six very good matches from you. Do you think that this is the best sustained level, like, kind of the best tennis of your life really over the course of these two weeks, just to be able to hold that level throughout the six matches so far?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I think so, because I was playing pretty well all the matches, and, like, more consistent, because every match is a tough match. It's a Grand Slam, and all the players are good. Yeah.

Q. If it is Pliskova in the final, what do you remember about your match in Australia? I think you two had a conversation in the locker room after the match that you were telling us about.
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I remember I was 5-2 up in the third and I didn't serve the match two times. And, yeah, after the match we had a conversation. She said, you were playing really well, and, like, you didn't serve the match. Because you were serving good, and those two games you just didn't, like, serve the first serve.

Yeah. But it was a good match. I got experience from that match.

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