“Had Some Negative Emotions”: Jelena Ostapenko Reflects on Disappointing French Open Run

Jelena Ostapenko had another bad outing at the French Open as she crashed out in the third round of this year’s edition. The former French Open champ has had a torrid Grand Slam record since winning the Roland Garros title in 2017.

Before the 2020 French Open, Ostapenko had consecutive first-round exits in 2018 and 2019. But this year she showed glimpses of her 2017 form as she beat 2nd seed Karolina Pliskova in straight sets in the second round. But then a straight-set defeat at the hands of 67th ranked Paula Badosa was a setback.

Jelena Ostapenko looks back at French Open 2020

Speaking on her overall disappointing French Open run, Ostapenko made an honest review of her third-round loss.

“I was not happy with the way I played in the third round. I think I probably put some pressure on myself because I felt that I could win that match, but I felt that people expected more from me because I had beaten one of the top seeds.”

Ostapenko also acknowledged that the draw was a bit easier and she could have done better and utilized the oppurtunity. She said: “The draw was quite open so I was very disappointed after my loss. I didn’t feel my game so well and I also had some negative emotions. I didn’t play at all well in that match.”

While playing Pliskova in the second round, Ostapenko played with her strengths and didn’t care about the opponent. But that win added pressure on her in the next game and she lost focus. Against Badosa, Ostapenko simply didn’t play to her strength and was easily ousted from the French Open.

“It doesn’t really matter who is on the other side of the court. Against all players, I just try to focus on myself and play my own game.”

Ostapenko’s form has been patchy for a long time now. She is just inside the top 50 and has been jumped by a lot of her rivals like Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek. But it is to be noted that she is still only 23 and has a whole career in front of her. So she has the time to turn her career around.

Read more: “Most Difficult Thing” – Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova Open up on Challenges of a Tennis Professional