Jelena Ostapenko is a professional tennis player from Latvia and a former World No. 5 in the WTA. She is ranked No.13 on tour as of June 2024. In doubles, her career-high was No.7, and she is now ranked No. 20 as of June 2024.
Ostapenko has started her 2024 season by winning the Brisbane International, after which she travels to Melbourne for the Australian Open. Although she has suffered a minor setback in terms of rankings, "Penko" can defeat anybody in the world on her day. After all, she turned out to be the giant slayer at the 2023 US Open, taking out top gun Iga Swiatek.
Jelena Ostapenko made history in 2017 by becoming the first Latvian and unseeded winner of the French Open singles since 1933. She defeated former World No.1 Simona Halep in three sets in the final. She has won eight singles and seven doubles titles to date and has made it to the last eight stages, or better, at all four Majors.
Her best grand slam performance of the current season included reaching the final of the 2024 Australian Open in the doubles category with Lyudmyla Kichenok defeating the reigning US Open champion Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski in the semifinals. The duo, however, lost to second seed Elise Mertens and Hsieh Su-wei by 6-1 and 7-5 in the finals. She also reached the third round of the singles tournament, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka.
Ostapenko lifted the trophy of her second WTA 500 title at the 2024 Linz Open, defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final. She finished quarterfinalist at the 2024 Italian Open in both singles and doubles. She and Lyudmyla Kichenok lost to the team of Elise Mertens and Hsieh Su-wei in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Madrid Open. Ostapenko also reached the quarterfinals of the 2024 Indian Wells Masters and the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships in the doubles category with Lyudmyla Kichenok.
A relentless competitor, Jelena Ostapenko's hatred for losing can potentially be her biggest asset. She is a strong baseliner and is willing to commit unforced errors in order to go for the winners. The Latvian has a loud grunt on the court and has excelled on all surfaces. She began playing tennis at the age of 5 when she was introduced to it by her mother. As of January 2024, Ostapenko is being coached by Stanislav Khmarsky.
Also Read: Jelena Ostapenko Parents
Jelena Ostapenko Age
Jelena Ostapenko is 27-years-old as of June 2024.
Ostapenko was born in Riga, Latvia, on June 8, 1997. Her mother taught her how to play tennis when she was five years old, and as a young girl, she looked up to Serena Williams. She started dancing at that age as well, and participated in the National Latvian Ballroom Dancing Championships.
Ostapenko started training seriously when she was 12-years-old. However, she attributes her excellent coordination and precise footwork to dancing. Her relatives and friends call her Alona, despite the fact that her real name is Jelena Ostapenko. She was given the name Jelena in honor of her mother because the name Alona, as requested by her parents, was not on the Latvian name calendar when she was born.
However, the Latvian government has since made it clear that there haven't been any limitations in place that would prevent people from registering the desired name, and most likely there was a miscommunication.
Prior to her victory at Roland Garros in 2017, Jelena Ostapenko had been referred to as Alona by fans in Latvia. She goes by her legal name Jelena professionally, to avoid any administrative misunderstandings.
Also Read: Jelena Ostapenko Net Worth
FAQs
A. Jelena Ostapenko is 27 years old as of 2024.
A. Jelena Ostapenko won the French Open singles title in 2017.
A. Jelena Ostapenko reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2023, but lost to Elena Rybakina.
A. Jelena Ostapenko stands 5 feet 10 inches tall.
A. According to the WTA website, Ostapenko has won $15,182,782 million in prize money as of June 2024.
A. Elise Mertens and Hsieh Su-wei won the 2024 women's doubles Australian Open title, defeating Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok in the final.