"When I stop playing tennis, I will not come back": Jelena Ostapenko opens up about her plans to start a family, Iga Swiatek secret & more (Exclusive)

The name Jelena Ostapenko needs no introduction. She's widely regarded for her on-court exploits, including becoming the first-ever Latvian Grand Slam champion at the 2017 French Open and she continues to be the only name in that list.

Ostapenko most recently competed for the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles at the 2025 Australian Open. Her singles and mixed doubles duties ended quickly, as she lost to Swiss Belinda Bencic in the first round and, alongside Joe Salisbury, failed against the duo of Erin Routeliffe and Michael Venus in the mixed opener.

The Latvian, however, produced a brilliant run in the doubles. She partnered up with Hsieh Su-Wei and ended up as a finalist, losing to top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in the title clash.

On the sidelines of the Melbourne Major, Ostapenko sat down with Sportskeeda for a chat and reflected on her life on and off the court, also addressing her impressive 4-0 head-to-head record against Iga Swiatek.

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Jelena Ostapenko Exclusive

Jelena Ostapenko (Getty)

Sportskeeda: Would you say that you enjoy playing tennis?

Jelena Ostapenko: Sometimes yes and sometimes no, to be honest, because there’s a thing I like to play matches and compete. I’m a very competitive person but I do hate traveling to be honest. Because I’m doing that since 10-12 years old so I don’t like to stay in the hotel and always like pack my bags, come home for a few days and travel again. And most of the travel are like long ones so when you do that for more than 15 years, you get a bit tired but I just like tennis as a game. I like to compete but yeah, I wish like we could play the same like in other sports, in the same time or place.

Sportskeeda: Then what do you like doing the most after being on the court?

Jelena Ostapenko: Ballroom dancing... because I used to be a professional for seven years.

Sportskeeda: You played against Belinda Bencic in the first round, she's a mother now. What was it like to face her after five years, you played against each other right here in 2020?

Jelena Ostapenko: I mean, for me, it was tough because I was injured. I didn’t play for more than three months in singles. It’s always tough to come back after an injury.

Sportskeeda: Have you also thought about starting a family anytime soon?

Jelena Ostapenko: For now, I just wanna play tennis and focus on what I have to do but my main goal is, I think when I retire from tennis then I’ll have a family and everything. Of course, things can change, like I can always say but it can change, but for now, I feel like when I stop playing tennis, I stop, I will not come back after that. I will just like have a family and live a normal life.

Sportskeeda: How have you been managing your singles and doubles duties lately?

Jelena Ostapenko: I mean doubles is always great for… like use it as a practice because sometimes you practice but you don’t feel the same in a match so doubles is another match. I think for me it’s good to play doubles to get some practice because it feels like it’s another match and I like to compete.

Sportskeeda: Have you set yourself any goals for the 2025 season?

Jelena Ostapenko: First of all, be healthy. Health is very important and yeah, just to enjoy it and play, find my best tennis even on the days when I don’t feel well. That’s the main goal.

Sportskeeda: Lastly, could you share with us the secret to beating Iga Swiatek?

Jelena Ostapenko: I feel like she’s the kind of player that doesn’t really like my pace. Every time I step on the court against her, I just play my game and that’s pretty much it. I focus on myself, I mean, honestly, doesn’t matter who’s on the other side, I have respect for all players and I have to do certain things, some days they work, some days they don’t. But on the days it doesn’t work, it’s most important to fight and try to find the answers.