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NATURE VALLEY INTERNATIONAL

June 26, 2018

Jelena Ostapenko

Eastbourne, England

J. OSTAPENKO/K. Kanepi

6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What pleased you most about your game today?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I mean, it was not easy match, and knew the opponent is playing pretty well. Yeah, was just playing my game today. I think everything worked pretty well.

Q. How well would you say your game matches the grass in comparison to the other surfaces?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think it matches it pretty well, because, like today, I was serving quite well and also going for the shots, and on grass it's more difficult to play defensive.

Q. When you have a first-round loss like you did at the French Open, does that make you more determined going into the next tournament?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, I tried to forget it as fast as I could, because I expected that something like that could happen because I'm still very young. Of course I was practicing very hard before the grass court season. I took like three weeks of practice. I didn't play any tournaments.

I decided to play only Eastbourne before Wimbledon, and, yeah, just got ready for the grass court season.

Q. Because you're only just starting out in your career, do you just go into every tournament trying to win as many matches as possible? You don't have any particular goals?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, here I just came, tried to try out the grass because I haven't played any tournaments this year, and, yeah, just get some matches before Wimbledon.

Q. And do you have a feeling about how far you can get in the tournament?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I'm just going to take one match at a time, not thinking about how well I can do. Just play every match as good as I can.

Q. Are there grass courts in Latvia?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Actually, there is one, but it's not really good. I didn't play on it, because it's not possible to play there, yeah (smiling).

Q. So when you spend three weeks of practice ahead of the grass court season, how does that work? You play on a quick indoor court?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: It was outdoor on hard court. It was a quick hard court.

Q. What's the adjustment like from going to that and now with the first practices here at Eastbourne? Was it very different or a little bit different?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Actually, not really for me. If I have like four or five days before the tournament starts, it's more than enough for me, because I know how to get used to grass because I'm playing on grass since I'm like 14 years old.

I started with juniors and playing Roehampton and Wimbledon and now playing Birmingham, Eastbourne, this year Eastbourne. So, yeah, I mean, I know how to get used to grass court. It's a little bit different, but it's nice.

Q. When you first played Roehampton, was that the first time you played on grass?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Actually, yeah, I think so, yeah.

Q. What was it like the first time?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think first couple of years I didn't really like it. I felt a bit strange because everything was so different and you couldn't expect where the bounce is going. And then the return and the serve, everything is so different, so hard to move.

But then every year I was getting more used to it, and every year I liked it more and more.

Q. Have you changed the way you play on grass over the years with the low bounces and things like that?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, on grass I think the more aggressive you play, the better it is for you, because for the opponent it's very hard, as I said, to play defensive on grass because the bounce is very unpredictable. And also, it goes pretty quick.

Q. So do you think it should suit you, then, being an aggressive player?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think so, yeah. I mean, I think who first is aggressive during the rally is going to win the point.

Q. I know that you were disappointed obviously after the French Open and in that press conference. How long did it take for you to put it behind you?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Actually, after that one I lost, I didn't really have good, like, couple of days because I lost doubles, as well, which I was supposed to win. And then before my mixed doubles, I got sick. I was, like, throwing up 20 times before my mixed doubles match. So honestly, this year Paris was really bad for me and all that together. I mean, I lost the doubles and mixed doubles, everything first round, so that was super unlucky for me, this Roland Garros.

But then I took a couple of days off and I stayed in Paris. I went to see Louvre, Versailles, and just to be like a tourist a little bit, try to do something else, not practicing and playing.

Then I went back home. Of course I spent some good time with my friends and then celebrated my birthday, which was very, very nice. I think I'm going to remember it, like, very special because was 21. Yeah, and then I started to practice.

Q. The birthday celebrations looked pretty fun based off of your social media. How did all of that come about? How fun was it?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Honestly, yeah, it was a lot of fun because I organized, like, in last minute everything. And I also invited some singers to sing. There was magician. There was so many things.

I mean, I have never organized something like that, but I think everybody were happy. And me, of course, especially. And there were so many people. I just had some great time. Yeah, I think I'm going to remember it all the time.

Q. Do you think it's important to have those times when you're away from tennis so you can just forget about the sort of weekly grind of the tour and you just forget about it and then come back refreshed?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think, yes, you have to switch your mind a little bit, because if you just practice, practice, and play tournaments, you can get bored at some moments for players. But if you do something else, or even if you have some other hobbies that you like and you sometimes do them, I think it's good to switch your mind.

Q. What's your coaching situation right now?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I'm here with Glenn.

Q. Schaap?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yes. So I started to work with him, yeah, and just the first tournament.

Q. What was the decision-making between you and David? And then how did you kind of meet up with Glenn and decide to go forward?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Actually, yeah, with David we just decided that we are probably going to stop because it didn't work that well for me and for him.

I mean, we worked almost half year together and it was I think a good half year. I cannot say anything bad. He's a great person.

Yeah, we just decided to not continue working.

Q. And then with Glenn, how did you decide to bring him on? And is that permanent or just a trial period with Glenn?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, we take -- yeah, I did a couple of days at home practicing and here, the tournaments, Wimbledon. I mean, we're going to see after.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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