VIKING INTERNATIONAL

June 25, 2021

Jelena Ostapenko

Devonshire Park

Press Conference

J. OSTAPENKO/E. Rybakina

6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: You must be really pleased with your form this week. Just talk us through how excited you are to reach the finals here at Eastbourne.

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I mean, I'm really happy with the way I played this week, and every match I played better and better. It's been a while without finals, so I'm really happy to be in a final and looking forward to tomorrow's match.

Q. Can you just talk about today's match against Rybakina? What do you think was the key to getting the win in straight sets?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, the key was just to return her serve, because I know she serves really well. That's one of her maybe best shots. If it's not working, then it's easier to play against her.

So I think I was returning quite well and also serving really well today. Didn't serve any double faults. Yeah, I was just trying to play aggressive, to move her. I kind of knew how to play against her, and I think I did it pretty well.

Q. You have come through a lot of different types of opponents this week, you know, playing against and getting the win against Dasha yesterday, forcing you to be very consistent, and then today playing against somebody who is a bigger hitter. How pleased does that make you in terms of being able to play your game against different types of opponents this week?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think yesterday's match against Dasha gave me more consistency, because to beat her I really needed to make a lot of balls. I couldn't just hit winner from the first ball, because rallies were quite long sometimes.

I still did some winners, so I think today into the match I came really focused and more consistent, of course more confident because I keep winning matches this week.

Yeah, I think I didn't miss that many balls today, and I still was playing very aggressive. I was playing smart against her.

Q. Into your first grass final, but obviously you have played well on the grass before at Wimbledon and everything like that. I mean, is it surprising to you that it took "this long" to make a grass final, given how well you play on it? How much confidence does it give you going into Wimbledon to get this sort of level of your game?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, it doesn't really surprise me, but it's hard it say because we didn't play on grass for two years. Last year we missed. It was only 2019, which I didn't play so well.

But in 2018 I think I made semis at Wimbledon, so I knew I could play well on grass and it suits my game quite well.

Of course I didn't expect to make a final here, but I said to myself that I will use this time as preparation for Wimbledon but also to get used to the grass more, and then just every match I started to play better and better. Of course it was like some matches were battles, but still, I think I started to feel much more confident on this surface.

Q. Yesterday you lost the first set 6-1 to Dasha, and then you won the first two games at the start of the second set to Love. You haven't lost a set since then. Did you sense anything turn around?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Not really. Yesterday I was just trying to play my game but still be smart, like don't overhit the balls, because otherwise I could make many unforced errors, and I think that gave me this consistency which I used today in the match, because I was trying to not hit winner from the first shot but to play it out, and then when I have a chance just to go for it.

Q. It's your first final since Luxembourg two years ago. Is there something different about a final at whatever level of tournament it is?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, it's really nice to be in the final, but of course it's been a while, but still we have this COVID, everything is so different now. There are so many new players who get first titles, and like many things changed, so it's kind of difficult times. It's not easy. It's not as it always have been. I'm really happy that I can adapt to these times and still play well.

Q. I just would really like to ask you -- I'm commentating on the final tomorrow -- about your coach, Anatoly, how long you have been working with him and how that came about and maybe where he's helped you?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, with Anatoly, we have been working probably long time, but sometimes he didn't travel with me and then he traveled, but I don't even remember, but I think from maybe like 2018 or beginning of '19. But for a while of course I know him, and he just cannot travel like every week, but he's happy to help me.

I think it's really great, and he's a very positive person in the team and always, like, making some jokes. I mean, I think I need a person like that in my team.

Q. Is he a fellow Latvian?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: No, Anatoly is from Russia.

Q. I just want to ask you about your trainer. I feel like Stanislav has been around for a long time. I've seen him many times.

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Not trainer. The coach.

Q. Your fitness trainer.

JELENA OSTAPENKO: No, no, no. Stanislav is my tennis coach right now.

THE MODERATOR: Anatoly is the fitness coach.

Q. I have the two completely -- okay. So your fitness trainer has been with you for a long time, since 2018. Sorry. And then Stanislav, how long were you with Stanislav?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Since Stuttgart. We are working since Stuttgart. He was just helping me out, but I think it works pretty well so we keep going.

Q. Just looking ahead to playing Kontaveit, Baltic final, I think it might be the first one on the WTA Tour, I'm assuming it is, but can you talk about the challenge of playing Anett?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: It's actually nice to have a Baltic final, because not such big countries, but still have good players, so it's nice.

Anett I know since juniors. We have been playing a lot, like maybe not so many matches but, I mean, we practice sometimes together, in juniors, and played even doubles. So I know her quite well.

Of course she's a very consistent player. Last couple of years she's been playing very good. I think tomorrow is not going to be an easy match. It's going to be -- we will have some good rallies, I think.

Just looking forward, because it's great to be in the final and just to enjoy it, because as I said, grass court season is very short, so I just want to enjoy it and to show my best.

Q. Is there something about Baltic tennis and grass that go together? I mean, you both like the surface and play pretty well on it. I'm just curious if there is something there.

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, of course we do, but I don't think there are any grass courts in our countries. But me, for example, I grew up playing on a very fast surface. I was practicing until I was 12 or 13 on the wood courts, which were extremely fast.

Maybe that helps to play on grass, because, I mean, now it's getting slower and slower, but still, in the beginning it was very fast. Maybe it helps me to adapt better to these conditions.

Q. Petra Kvitova had a similar experience growing up playing on wood floors, low bouncing, very fast. Is that similar? Was it bouncing very low, as well?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think it was bouncing, to be honest, everywhere, because it was not even. It was, like, very, I don't know how you say it in English...

Q. Uneven?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, very uneven. You had to really adapt to those conditions. Ceiling was very low, also, so you could not really do any lobs.

So, I mean, it was a funny time, fun times, but still, I mean, I think it helped me in my tennis. Maybe because of that I started to play aggressive since I was a child. I don't know. I mean, you never know.