Tennis is great for its shock-value and the many narratives that can be created within the sport, but none would have expected 20-year-old to deliver a maiden Grand Slam win as early as she did. She’s always been on the tennis radar for many that follow tennis religiously and consistently, but the manner in which she virtually stormed through anyone in her path, was a sight to behold and it took many people’s breath away.
When Simona Halep stared at a set and a 3-0 lead, the match looked dead and buried, but the relentless, feisty, fearless Ostapenko chose not to give up, to keep playing her game and believed that her aggressive game would pay off if she kept following the way she’s always played in her short career so far.
The question on many tennis fans’ lips are whether she can pull off back-to-back Grand Slam victories in the space of a month. The last women’s player to win the next Slam following the last one–other than Serena Williams–was Justine Henin when she won the 2003 US Open and the 2004 Australian Open. And when you look at player’s that have won their maiden slam, the last person to back it up by winning the following slam was Jennifer Capriati in 2001. So history isn’t necessarily on Ostapenko’s side, but with that being said, there aren’t many characters like Ostapenko, who at this point, has taken everything into her stride.
A similar story, in recent memory, was the rise and slight stumble of Garbiñe Muguruza. She, like Ostapenko, played with real freedom for most of her ascension to the top of the women’s game and then the expectation played a significant role in breaking the foundations of her game. Will that same thing happen with Ostapenko?
The Latvian No.1 is in unchartered territory. The changes in life on the court, where people now want to see her matches with more enthusiasm and also the additional interest off the court with media is something she has to adjust to. And that doesn’t come easy and naturally to all players. Will Ostapenko will be the exception to that rule?
Has Wimbledon come around too early for the Latvian? Well, she loves grass. She won the Wimbledon juniors back in 2014 and won her first grand slam main draw match at Wimbledon the year after. So she feels good on this surface and that is clear to see by the way she plays. She plays hard-hitting, front-foot, no holds barred tennis that really takes no prisoners on the court. The moment she starts firing winner after winner, the Latvian can be extremely hard to contain as Simona Halep saw at Roland-Garros.
I think Ostapenko’s inability to really take a moment and realise what position she’s currently in will actually work in her favour. I expect a good Wimbledon showing, but anticipate that the likes of Petra Kvitova, Venus Williams and Karolina Pliskova will be the three main names to beat at this year’s Wimbledon.
