DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 16, 2022

Jelena Ostapenko

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

J. OSTAPENKO/I. Swiatek

4-6, 6-1, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Long day for you, two wins. Talk about the singles win. A crazy match with Iga. How would you describe it?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: In general was a good match, but I felt like I could finish it a bit easier in the third set as I was 3-0 and 30-Love up. Made a little bit roller coasters.

But in general I'm happy with the way I fought till the very last point and I just won the match.

Q. What do you think is working for you at the moment? You have had a good couple of weeks in a row. What is working for you?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think I'm serving better and also playing more consistent, not missing that much maybe. Also in deciding moments not afraid to go for the shots, which is working well.

Q. You've taken one of the top seeds out. Second quarterfinals of 2022. How is your confidence right now and how far do you think you can go in the tournament?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I'm feeling pretty confident, but I'm not trying to think how far I can go. Just take one match at a time, play my game, be aggressive and I think I can play well.

Q. Your next opponent, Petra Kvitova, she said your game is unpredictable. Would you say the same? How are you planning for that game?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, she's also aggressive player. She can have really good matches. But it depends on the day. If it's not her day, maybe she's not going to play her best.

Of course, I'm always going to be ready to play a really tough match against her because she's a good player. Just focus more on myself and, yeah, be aggressive. I think that can be the key against her.

Q. What did you make of the fans? How was the atmosphere?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think it's really nice, the fans there. The Polish people were a little bit not too nice because, like, clapping for double-faults. I don't think it's the right way. It's not a football match, it's a tennis match at the end. When she was making double-faults, nobody was clapping because people know how to behave. Some of them, of course, they were behaving not the way they should.

I think it only made me more angry and more hungry to win. I didn't really care what they were doing. In general it was nice atmosphere.

Q. Are you the kind of person where this fuels you a little bit?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, of course. I really wanted to win. I mean, but in general I think fans should not behave on a tennis court the same as they're behaving on a soccer match.

Q. You've seen so many seeds fall today. Strong field here this week. Do you think that affects the way you approach the next match knowing some of the seeds have gone?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I honestly don't think so much about seeds and not seeds. I just try to focus more on my game, play every match against every moment. The cut here was like 30. Every opponent is good player. I'm not really trying to think who is ranked in top 10, who is out of top 10. Just play against everyone.

Q. Ranking-wise, do you have a goal for yourself this season?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I mean, of course I should have a goal because then you have to achieve something, you're not just playing for nothing.

To be in top 10, I think I'm working on it, slowly getting there.

Q. You spoke about the cutoff. Your draw was not easy. Does it help to have the tough draw to give yourself that extra confidence?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think it's even better sometimes to play a tougher opponents than to play against lower-ranked players because they normally have nothing to lose against you. Against the tough opponents, you expect a really tough match and you know it's going to be very hard to win, then you are ready. I think this way you play even better.

Q. You talked about coming out and playing your game, going for your shots. That is how your game has always been. Is there something else that binds everything together now that you're older? Are you holding back a little more, picking the times when to go for your shots?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: No. I feel like even in Australia, if we take a third round match, I felt like I was not playing aggressive enough in the moments where I should go for the shots and play aggressive. I think now I'm doing it way better, like this week and the week before in St. Petersburg, which I should always do. Then opponents are in trouble. When I'm winning, I have to keep pushing them and keep playing aggressive instead of just trying to play safer or more consistent.

Q. You have your own clothing line. Do you wear that in matches sometimes?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I had it, yeah, in Australia. It was not ready for this tournament, so that's why I'm playing in some other stuff.

Q. I saw on your social you have a real estate project or some design. What interests you in that kind of stuff?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, it was investing money in some really nice project back home. I think it's always nice. Before I was like the face of one project couple years ago. Now I invested some money in a really good project which is by the lake, kind of in a nice, calm area. Yeah, I think it's nice.

Q. Are you going to be involved in the design of something or your name is attached to it?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: No, I think I'm going to do also the design and stuff.

Q. Do you do the design for your line of clothing also?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I did it for Australia, but I didn't have much time. I had like only one week. There was not much choice because these things, you have to do it in advance. You need a lot of time for that.

Hopefully for Indian Wells, Miami, maybe I'm going to have, like, more stuff and more time to do it. I'm not so sure because with COVID, it's very tough.

Q. Is it a long-term project for you, the clothing line?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: It's more like a collaboration with one Latvian brand, we're doing stuff. With COVID it's tough because everything needs time. It's not like a one-day thing.