AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 22, 2023

Jelena Ostapenko

Press Conference

J. OSTAPENKO/C. Gauff

7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the press conference of Jelena Ostapenko.

Jelena, congratulations on making it through to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. How was your match against Coco Gauff today?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I think I played really well. I'm really happy with the way I played today. I think I was stepping in the court and took a lot of time away from her, so didn't really give her to play her game.

I'm just happy to be through to the quarterfinals.

Q. Congratulations. Is this a major that you always believed or maybe were surprised that you hadn't made this far at the Australian Open? Was this always a place that you felt like you should be able to do well at?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think, honestly, I can do well at all surfaces, on all surfaces. And it really depends on my game and my kind of mental strength and focus because today I felt like I was really into the match and I was not looking around. I was just, like, on the court.

Even I missed some balls, I was still continuing to play my game. Yeah, I'm really happy with my performance today.

Q. Two quick points. One off the back of that. You say you weren't looking around today. What can happen to you in a match when you are looking around? What does that feel like?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: No, I think it's just I have to keep more focus on the game and on the court. Of course, if there were some calls which I asked my team, obviously, what they saw and I can do that sometimes.

But the main thing is to keep focus on the game, and that gives me more confidence. Then I'm more consistent during the match, and I don't lose concentration.

Q. My second question: You hit the ball incredibly hard, and it was incredible today to watch it. When you are not maybe feeling as good as you felt today, do you ever bring it in and rein it in and not try and hit the ball as hard, or is your approach, I'm just going to go for it and you're going to deal with the consequences? If they go in, they go in.

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think the main thing before I was still hitting the ball hard, but I was not really stepping in the court. Now I feel like I'm stepping much better in the court and taking the ball earlier, so I take time away from the opponents, which makes me more dangerous player.

So I hope I can keep it up.

Q. Has there ever been a moment since winning the French Open when you've doubted whether you could do that again?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I honestly haven't really doubted it. Like I said, my life changed a lot, so I needed a few years to really get used to what happened because I was really young. I was 19 and then turned 20.

I always knew and believed in my game. If I play well, I can beat almost anyone. I was trying to work more on my consistency, especially in the preseason. Yeah, just to step on the court and play my game.

I think I'm doing it quite well this week.

Q. You said your life changed when you won the French Open. Did that make playing tennis and winning tennis matches harder?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Honestly, yes, because everybody expected you almost to win every single tournament, which is crazy, because you are still a human and you cannot feel great every day.

Yeah, I needed some time to get used to it. Of course, a lot of attention from everywhere outside the court, like photo shoots and all those kind of things. You became more popular in your country. Everybody is watching you. Of course, it's great, but I needed some time to get used to it.

Q. Referring to what you say with your winning very young and all the expectations, Cori Gauff and Iga Swiatek also are very young at the moment trying to carry the tennis world in women's tennis. Now lost within 30 minutes. What does this mean for the WTA Tour at the moment? What do you think about it?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Like, the question, what is the question?

Q. You won the French Open very young. Both players now Iga Swiatek and Cori Gauff are also very young trying to carry tennis. Now lost within 30 minutes and last 16. What does this mean for tennis? How difficult it is to stay on the top aged very young?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Of course, it's very difficult, but I think especially Iga is dealing with it really well, and she has the right people next to her.

But obviously, it's really hard to play very consistent every single tournament because we're still human and we don't feel great every single day.

So there are a lot of things which are behind maybe and expected, they didn't see this. But, yeah, it's really hard.

The most important is just to maybe try and keep the focus mostly on the tennis and on the court.

Q. In talking about going from the difficulties you said you encountered in being a young champion and feeling those expectations and pressure to where you are now, was there somebody, maybe another player, present or former, or a coach or anyone who gave you some advice that helped you move out of that difficulty of expectations to maybe feeling better now?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, of course there were some great advices, but it's still, like, more with what I feel myself and more to deal with myself and try to maybe overcome those things maybe because everybody expects you to win and then now it's already, like, what, six years.

I'm just more hungry now to win another Grand Slam and just to play well and to be back in top 10 and just to play consistent.

Q. Jelena, tennis is traditionally a very polite sport. You are completely yourself at all times, and that's not necessarily always polite. So many tennis fans just love it. Do you think it would be good for the sport if more people were like you?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: With me it's never boring (laughing) on the court, so I think that's what the fans like.

Of course, sometimes I can go a little bit too much, but I'm an emotional person in general. So it's always hard to find this balance. As I always said, it's easy to judge from the outside, but when you are on my place, it's a little bit different. All the people are different. Somebody is more calm. Somebody is more emotional.

So I try to find a balance, and I'm looking for it now. I feel like this week is a bit better (laughing).

Q. Had you at any point been thinking about the possibility of maybe playing Iga at some point in this tournament? And what are your initial thoughts, I guess, on instead playing Rybakina in the next round?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I'm just trying to take one match at a time and not to look the draw completely. So try to prepare as good as possible for every match.

Of course, it's going to be a hard match against Elena, but we played a couple of times, and I know how to play against her. I'm just going to try to focus more on myself and on my game, and hopefully I can bring the good and aggressive game again.

Q. Just to follow up on that last thought. Do you ever go into a match thinking much at all about what the opponent might do? Or are you always thinking to yourself, I'm going to play my game, and I'm going to live or die by what I do and not adjust things or worry too much about what's going to happen on the other side of the net?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: Of course, I get ready. I see the matches of the opponents, and I speak with the coach and with my team to understand what can happen in the match.

But I think I'm kind of player that can adjust during the match, and I can see some things, and I can make some changes. But the main thing is to focus more on myself.

Q. Just following on from Catherine's question about people not necessarily knowing what it's like to be you. Would you like to be in the Netflix documentary, second series?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, it would be fun, of course, yeah. But it's always nice I think for people to see what's really happening inside of the tennis world, and in general in sports, because most of the people just see how we play, the matches. They don't really see what's happening day-to-day what we're doing. I think it would be a good idea (smiling).

Q. Oftentimes, especially early in tournaments, we'll see you on an outer court playing a player that we believe and probably you believe that you should be beating in straight sets, and the matches are roller coasters. And then we put you on a big court against a marquee player, and it seems like you zone in in a different level. I'm curious, now that you're going to step up and play the Wimbledon champion, is that going to be hard to keep focus, or is that the perfect situation for you to be as focused as possible?

JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, I love to play on the big courts, so I really enjoy it and with a lot of fans. With the good players I think I have nothing to lose, and I'll just enjoy it as much as possible.

It's great to be in the quarterfinals. If I play my game, I think I have all the chances.