AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 24, 2023

Jelena Ostapenko

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/J. Ostapenko

6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Bad luck on the result today. What was it about Elena's game today that troubled you the most?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think in general today the level of the match was I think much lower than the previous one. Felt like me and Coco, we had like a really high level of tennis and we played really well. It's a little shame that I couldn't bring this level of the tennis today.

Obviously she was serving well, but I felt like already in the second set when I had the longer rallies with her, I was winning mostly, like most of them, so that was my goal to make her play.

But, yeah, I felt like maybe mixed doubles yesterday was a little bit not the right decision to play that late (smiling). Yeah, but in general I think I can take only positive things out of this week, because it's only the beginning of the season, and if I keep working and keep playing the same way, I think I can be dangerous player.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You mentioned the mixed doubles. When we saw you on the schedule last night at 8:00, it was a little bit of an eye-raiser. How difficult was it to unwind and get to sleep and refocus? Do you think that it was a physical impact today or more just kind of mental tiredness?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think it was a little bit about more maybe mental tiredness, because until like I came to my room, it was almost like 10:00 p.m., and I really, like, didn't get much sleep because I had to play at 12:30.

All these kind of things maybe were not the right decision, I don't know, or maybe the scheduling could be a little better. Yeah, but it is as it is. It's already in the past, so...

Q. A small follow-up on that. What time did you get here today?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: 10:20.

Q. In the match, there was the delay. It came at a bit of an awkward moment in the game there. How did you deal with that time? What did you do during the break? What did you do to try to have yourself ready to face a breakpoint as soon as you came out of it?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I just tried to keep warm, just did some like jumping ropes, still warm up, like, off the court, because we had obviously, like, what, 15 minutes, 10, 15 minutes, so not much time.

Yeah, in general, I feel like I had still like many chances today, even like breaking her early in the second set, and just little things here and there, and she was also lucky in many moments.

Yeah, I think next time a bit of more luck, and everything can change.

Q. When you say your opponent was lucky, does that have anything to do with some of the line calls that you were unhappy with?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Honestly, I'm not really happy with the system they are using (smiling).

Q. What's wrong with it?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: But couple times it was really, like, not even by couple centimeters. It was much more than that. But I cannot do anything about it, because it is the way as it is.

But I feel like some lines, sometimes the system is not, how you say, not ignoring, but sometimes the calls are -- first of all, they are really late sometimes. You already hit the ball, and then you here "Out," which is normally not the way it is with the line umpires.

And second of all, some balls were quite, how you say, not a little out. They were a bit out and they were not called.

Q. In terms of the result and just the start of the season, are you super disappointed by this result, or do you leave with the perspective of what you did at Melbourne Park and just the start of the season? How much does the loss, I guess, linger, stay with you over the next few weeks?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, I just try to move forward and try to forget this match as soon as possible, just to do the right, how you say -- I forgot the word (smiling). Not "decisions" but like "analyzes," so the next match this doesn't happen to me and I'm more ready and of course more recovered maybe to make another decision the day before I have to play.

Yeah, but as I said, I can take only positive things out of here, because I feel my game was really good all the matches except maybe today was not really there, and she had a good day. Yeah, just move forward and work, and I think I will play better if I do the right things.

Q. Back to the line calling just for a second, is there a part of you that wishes there were humans out there so you could have somebody to argue with or to blame?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Honestly, my personal opinion, I wish it would be the Hawk-Eye system and the line umpires, because I feel like that way it's more -- precised? Precised? More precised and much less mistakes, in my opinion, my personal opinion.

Q. To have both?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: To have just the Hawk-Eye system, because this is the live system, but to have a Hawk-Eye but still have the line umpires. I think it's also, I don't know, that way it looks a little better for me on the court how it is. Not just the calling-wise but in general how the court looks. Because with no line umpires, for me it looks a little empty (smiling).