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Jelena Ostapenko shared a heartfelt message for her dad following her first-round win at the Brisbane International which was also her first of the 2024 season.
Ostapenko, who lost her father four years ago, got past Camila Giorgi of Italy 6-1, 6-4 in an hour and 20 minutes on January 3. She will take on Karolina Pliskova in the second round.
The Latvian dedicated the victory to her father Jevgenijs Ostapenko, with a note stressing that the win was "special."
Jevgenijs Ostapenko, who was a Ukrainian footballer, performed the role of a fitness coach for his daughter. The Riga-born player was also coached by her mother Jeļena Jakovleva, who is Russian.
"Today's win was very special for me. 4 years without you dad. This win is for you," read the message from the 26-year-old.
Jevgenijs Ostapenko, who played for Ukrainian football club FC Metalurh Zaporizhya, passed away on January 13, 2020.
Looking back at Jelena Ostapenko's magnificent 2017 French Open title
Jelena Ostapenko created history for Latvia when she became the first woman from her country to win a Grand Slam title.
Back in 2017, Ostapenko lost the first set of the Roland Garros final to Simona Halep but went on to defeat the Romanian 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Interestingly, the Latvian's maiden Grand Slam title also happened to be the first-ever tour-level title of her career.
Ostapenko, who was 20 at the time of her Roland Garros triumph back in 2017, also became the youngest French Open champion since Iva Majoli in 1997.
The 2014 Wimbledon junior girls champion was the first unseeded player to win a Grand Slam since Kim Clijsters won the US Open in 2009. Ostapenko was also the first unseeded player to reign supreme at the French Open since Margaret Scriven in 1933.
A straight-sets win over Lesia Tsurenko (6-1, 6-4) enabled the teenager to advance to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, where she defeated 2010 French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. Former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki failed to stop Ostapenko in the 2017 French Open quarterfinals, going down 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
A semifinal matchup against Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland ended with a 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3 win for Ostapenko, who also turned 20 on the day.
With her win over Simona Halep in the title round, Jelena Ostapenko became the lowest-ranked player to win the tournament since computer rankings were introduced.
