"Huge f**king fan" - Jelena Ostapenko earns rapper Lil Wayne's plaudits after marauding 'joy to watch' run to Wimbledon QF

Jelena Ostapenko received a shout-out from Hollywood rapper Lil Wayne after she eased past Yulia Putintseva to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon 2024. The rapper complimented her playing style.

Ostapenko recently revealed that she received a message from Lil Wayne on her Instagram DMs. In a conversation with Tennis Channel after her first-round win at Wimbledon, the Latvian said that he sent her a message, telling her that he was a big fan. She also extended an invitation to him to join her in the player's box at the 2024 US Open.

"And he [Lil Wayne] also sent me a message like he's my big fan as well. So that for me was like, I stopped and I was staring at my phone for five minutes. I couldn't believe that Lil Wayne texted me. I would love to see him in my box maybe when I'm playing the US Open or when I'm in the US. I would love to see him watching me play, of course," Ostapenko said to Tennis Channel.

Now he took to X to lavish praise on the 2017 French Open champion, saying that it was a joy to watch her play. Lil Wayne wrote:

"Jelena Jelena Jelena!!! I am and I been a huge fkn fan!!! 💪🏾💪🏾🙏🏾 a joy to watch…EVERY TIME!"

Jelena Ostapenko - "When Lil Wayne came out, I was dancing every song"

Jelena Ostapenko at the 2024 Rothesay International Eastbourne (Source: GETTY)

Jelena Ostapenko first caught the attention of Lil Wayne when she talked to Tennis Channel about attending Drake's concert during the 2024 Miami Open, where he was a guest singer. The Latvian revealed that she vibed more with Lil Wayne's songs than Drake.

"I think it was nice but honestly the part of the concert where it was Lil Wayne, I liked way better. I don’t know I felt his vibe and music was so nice," Jelena Ostapenko told Tennis Channel.

Ostapenko added that she danced her heart out to Lil Wayne's songs and also started listening to his music after the concert.

"When there was Drake, I was just standing, I was not dancing much, and when Lil Wayne came out, I was like dancing every single song even I didn’t know them. After the concert, I started to listen to a lot of Lil Wayne’s songs," she said.

Jelena Ostapenko is through to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon 2024, beating Ajla Tomljanovic, Daria Snigur, Bernarda Pera, and Yulia Putintseva. She will now face Barbora Krejcikova for a place in the semifinals.