Watch out for Ostapenko at Wimbledon
A little more than an hour after Jelena Ostapenko won the first tour-level title of her young tennis career – at the French Open, no less – she was asked what her future ambitions are.
With her new silver trophy shining nearby, Ostapenko smiled and said, quite matterof-factly, “Of course, I would like to win probably all of the Grand Slams. It’s my goal.”
It was unbridled confidence and a brash style of play that got Ostapenko to this point, two days past her 20th birthday, so why hold back now? With Wimbledon starting July 3, her sudden appearance on the scene makes things more interesting.
It’s way too soon to declare Ostapenko the next great champion. The history of tennis, as with plenty of other sports, is filled with one-hit wonders or athletes who were quickly labelled “The Next Big Thing” only to fade away quietly.
But with a power-based game that elicits “oohs” and “aahs” from spectators, and a fearless attitude to match, Ostapenko could be one to watch for quite some time.
“If I have a really good day, and I’m hitting really well,” said Ostapenko, who walloped 54 winners during her 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback victory over thirdseeded Simona Halep in Saturday’s final at the French Open, “I think anything is possible.”
The Latvian, who came to Paris ranked 47th and will leave as the youngest member of the top 20 at No. 12, is the first unseeded women’s champion at the French tennis major in 84 years.