Chris Evert shares 1-word reaction to amusing Jelena Ostapenko childhood story 

Chris Evert has reacted to an endearing anecdote about Jelena Ostapenko, told by the Latvian's mother, Jelena Jakovleva. Ostapenko is fresh from an exciting victory in last week's Stuttgart Open, when she stunned World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, beating the Belarusian World No. 1 6-4, 6-1 in the final.

Ostapenko is the daughter of former Ukrainian footballer Jevgenijs Ostapenko, and former tennis coach and player Jelena Jakovleva. It was her mother who introduced her to tennis when she was five years old, and Ostapenko, who has talked often about how she idolized Serena Williams, when she was a junior.

Chris Evert was responding to an X (formerly Twitter) post, that recounted a story that was first published by the New York Times in 2018. Ostapenko's mother told the NYT, that her daughter was easily distracted when she first picked up a tennis racquet, saying:

"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," Jakovleva said. "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."

Chris Evert reacted to the post with one word on her X account:

"Hilarious!"

Chris Evert was ranked as the World No.1, for 260 weeks, during the 1970s and 1980s. She won seven French Open titles, still a record, and a record-equalling six US Open Majors.

Jelena Ostapenko is having a sensational 2025

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2025 - Day 7 - Source: Getty

Jelena Ostapenko's win in Stuttgart confirmed her exceptional start to 2025. Her final defeat of Aryna Sabalenka ended a three-match losing streak to the Belarusian. In February, Ostapenko also reached the final in Dubai, losing to Amanda Anisimova in straight sets, but her wins over second seed Iga Swiatek and fourth seed Jasmine Paolini indicated that she was on track for a big win.

After the Stuttgart final, Ostapenko told the post-match press conference that her confidence was sky-high even before the tournament, and she felt equipped to take the title:

"I felt very confident since the first day. I had, like, strange -- not strange but in a good way, strange feeling. When I came here, I felt like something is going to happen this week. I pretty much felt that I can win this tournament. Because I think I'm improving day by day and I'm playing better and better."

Jelena Ostapenko begins her Madrid Open campaign today. She plays fellow Latvian Anastasija Sevastova in the second round, and will be hoping to continue the excellent form she showed in Stuttgart.