Jelena Ostapenko’s tennis journey began at age five, coached by her mother, Jeļena Jakovļeva, a tennis coach. She grew up in a sporting family; her father, Jevgeņijs Ostapenko, was a professional footballer. Jelena’s talent and competitive spirit showed early under her mother’s guidance. This strong foundation led to junior success, including winning junior Wimbledon in 2014 and reaching world No. 2 in juniors. Her pro career took off with a stunning 2017 French Open win, followed by WTA titles in Seoul (2017), Luxembourg (2019), Eastbourne (2021), and Dubai (2023). But before all that, there was a moment that almost derailed everything!

Ostapenko’s first tennis competition was in Liepaja, a small coastal city of about 70,000, where her mother and Anastasija Sevastova, her Latvian compatriot and Fed Cup teammate, grew up.

“When she was 6, Alona went to visit her grandma in Liepaja and she saw that there was a tournament, and she wanted to take part in it,” an X user shared a funny throwback quote from Jelena’s mother on April 21, 2025. The New York Times’ 2018 article confirms these statements. For context, while her legal name is Jeļena, she is known to her family and friends as Aļona. So what happened next?

“She won one game and then suddenly she saw a cat and she ran away from the court to chase the cat. She lost interest in the tennis.” How can a moment be so adorable yet funny? Chris Evert agreed, replying “Hilarious!” under the tweet.

That moment stood out as funny, but Jelena soon returned to tennis. Under her mother’s coaching, she became one of the game’s brightest young stars. Meanwhile, Jelena’s early years saw her winning Les Petits As in Tarbes, France, at age 13 in 2011 and playing the Australian Open juniors in 2012. She raced around the players’ lounge, snapping photos with stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Victoria Azarenka, and her then-favorite, Juan Martín del Potro. Those photos now hang in her Riga club.

“She was just born like that,” Jakovleva had said 7 years ago. “My job was not to try to destroy what she had from nature. She’s very flexible and very loose.” Ostapenko’s father, Ukrainian, was a goalkeeper for F.C. Metalurh Zaporizhya in southeastern Ukraine. “She’s got the genetics from Ukraine,” Jakovleva, who is more slight of build than her daughter and played a more defensive, slice-based game, had added further. “Her grandfather was quite big and very strong, and her father is quite strong as well.”

Interestingly, that wasn’t the only time a cat stole the show for Ostapenko! Four years ago at the 2020 Qatar Open, a cat ran across the court, distracting her. History does repeat itself!

Fun fact: Cats and tennis have a quirky history. In February 2025, at the Qatar Open, a stray cat wandered onto the court during a second-round match between Aryna Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova. The cat strolled around comfortably before being ushered off. The incident caught social media’s attention, with fans finding it amusing.

Jelena has come far—just recently, she took down the World No.1 and No.2 at the Stuttgart Open to claim her first title of the season, responding with humor after beating Sabalenka.

Jelena Ostapenko believes that Aryna must “hate her” after crushing her Porsche dreams

The Stuttgart final on Monday set the stage for a dramatic showdown: Aryna Sabalenka was chasing her first Porsche after three previous wins over Ostapenko, while Jelena was seeking her first victory against the world No. 1.

This time, Ostapenko’s powerful game overwhelmed her opponents. She fought through a tough draw, defeating Emma Navarro, World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, and Ekaterina Alexandrova in a series of electrifying matches. In the final, Ostapenko dominated Sabalenka 6-4, 6-1, capping a fairytale week. The win was doubly significant.

It marked her ninth career WTA title (her first at a WTA 500 event) and her first clay title since winning Roland Garros in 2017. The victory also earned her a second Porsche, the Macan Turbo, valued at £97,000 ($128,680), joining the Cayenne Turbo in her collection. Moreover, Ostapenko has become the first woman to beat both No. 1 and No. 2 at the same event on clay since Serena Williams her idol since childhood) achieved the feat at Madrid in 2012.

Ostapenko brought her trademark humor to the trophy ceremony. She joked, “Congrats Aryna on a great week. I think you hate me now because you wanted this car so badly,” referencing the coveted Porsche. She added, “I’m sure you’ll get it another time. It’s great to share the court with you. You’re such a champion.” The crowd loved it—her wit matched her fearless tennis all week.

Her 2025 season now stands at 12-9, with a perfect 4-0 record against Top 10 opponents, three of those wins coming in Stuttgart. Now, as Ostapenko heads into the Madrid Open, can we expect more magic and likely more hilarious anecdotes from the charismatic Latvian? Perhaps another title? Only time will tell.