Jelena Ostapenko heartbroken as she pens emotional message to father 5 years after his death

Latvian tennis star Jelena Ostapenko has penned a stirring tribute to her father who passed away 5 years ago. The WTA World No. 15's father Jevgenijs passed away on January 3, 2020, at the age of 43, reportedly due to meningitis.

Ostapenko on Saturday (Jan. 4) shared a photograph on Instagram stories where she was standing next to her father.

"I miss you so much," the Latvian player captioned the picture. "It's been 5 years without you. I will always love you dad and you will be in my heart."

Instagram | @jelena.ostapenko

Last year, Ostapenko dedicated a second-round win over Camila Giorgi at the Brisbane International to her father's memory. She posted a photo taken with her father when she was a child and captioned it:

"Today's win was very special for me. Four years without you dad. This win is for you."

Jelena Ostapenko's father passed away in 2020 just as she was preparing to get her season underway at a WTA event in Auckland. Although she withdrew from the event and flew back home to Latvia, she arrived in Australia later that month to participate in the Australian Open.

"I decided to play (the Australian Open) because I will be busy with something,” she said [via ausopen.com]. “If I stay home I think it's gonna push me even more, and will be even harder for me.”

The Latvian fell in the second of the event to Switzerland's Belinda Bencic. During the offseason, Ostapenko visited the Maldives with her boyfriend Lyudmyla Kichenok, documenting special moments from the trip in a series of breathtaking pictures. She returned to the WTA Tour at this week's Brisbane International.

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Jelena Ostapenko has returned to action in Australia

Jelena Ostapenko has made a comeback to the WTA Tour in Australia - Source: Getty

Jelena Ostapenko has kickstarted her preparations for the first Grand Slam of the year, entering two key tune-up events ahead of her participation in the Major.

Entering the Brisbane International as the seventh seed, Jelena Ostapenko lost to Marie Bouzkova in the opening round. She is next headed to participate at the Adelaide International 1 where she will meet Magdalena Frech for a spot in the Round of 16.

Last year, the Latvian was knocked out in the third round of the Australian Open by two-time former champion Victoria Azarenka. A year earlier, she had her best result at the event, making it into the quarterfinals before being knocked out by eventual finalist Elena Rybakina in straight sets.