"I stopped & was staring at my phone for 5 minutes" - Jelena Ostapenko reveals Lil Wayne messaged her in private; invites rapper in her box at US Open

Last month, Jelena Ostapenko received a shoutout from hip-hop legend Lil Wayne, who has previously expressed his love for tennis. The 2017 French Open champion recently gushed over her interaction with the American rapper. She also disclosed a few details regarding a possible future meet-up with him.

Ostapenko attended pop icon Drake's 'It's All a Blur' Tour during her Miami Open campaign in March. The following month, the World No. 14 admitted to the Tennis Channel that she enjoyed Lil Wayne's guest performance more than that of the Canadian headliner himself.

"I think it was nice but honestly the part of the concert where it was Lil Wayne, I liked way better," the Latvian told Tennis Channel.

Jelena Ostapenko's praise for the American rapper reached the latter's ears late. But when they did, he made sure to reciprocate on his Instagram stories in an adorable way.

"Thanks for da luv @jelena.ostapenko," Lil Wayne wrote on his Instagram stories in June.

The Latvian was asked about her exchange with Lil Wayne during a Tennis Channel segment following her first-round win at Wimbledon. The 27-year-old recounted receiving a direct message from the five-time Grammy winner, which had admittedly left her dumbfounded.

"I mean, it was crazy because he has 18 or 19 million followers on Instagram," Jelena Ostapenko told Tennis Channel host Steve Weissman. "And when I saw this for the first time, I was like, 'Wow, he saw it and he's aware of it, that's like unbelievable!' And he 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."

She further insisted that seeing the legendary rapper in her players' box at this year's US Open would bring her immense joy.

"I would love to see him in my box maybe when I'm playing the US Open or when I'm in the US," she said. "I would love to see him watching me play, of course."

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Jelena Ostapenko on her personality: "I'm kind of fun to watch for a lot of fans"

Jelena Ostapenko reacts after winning first-round match at Wimbledon

During the interaction, Tennis Channel's guest and veteran journalist Jon Wertheim quizzed Jelena Ostapenko on her authentic personality both on and off the court. The Latvian maintained that while she was emotionally high-strung, her brigade of fans wouldn't find it as enjoyable to follow her if she had a tame demeanor.

"I honestly don't think so. I think it would be probably more boring because I think a lot of people they really like that I'm kind of emotional," Jelena Ostapenko replied to Jon Wertheim on whether her life would be easier with a simple personality. "Sometimes I can go too much, but that's my personality. Of course, I'm working on using emotions in the right way to also help me out on the court. But I feel like I'm kind of fun to watch for a lot of fans."

The 13th seed was in great form as she dispatched familiar foe Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1, 6-2 in her opener at SW19. She will next face Ukraine's Daria Snigur for a place in the third round of the grasscourt Major.