"It's in my mind, but I'm not 100% sure" - Jelena Ostapenko contemplates 'hard choice' of moving to the US, cites distance from Latvia as a drawback
Jelena Ostapenko opened up about the possibility of relocating to the United States despite being uncertain about the decision. She cited the distance between America and her native country of Latvia as a major factor contributing to her hesitation.
Seeded 13th, Ostapenko recently secured her place in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships by defeating Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 in just one hour and eight minutes.
This will be Ostapenko's third quarterfinal appearance at SW19, with her last one being in 2018 where she defeated Dominika Cibulkova before falling to eventual champion Angelique Kerber in the semifinals.
During a post-match interview with the Tennis Channel, Jelena Ostapenko talked about the possibility of her moving to America. While she expressed her fondness for the country, she admitted that she feels hesitant about relocating. She explained that the distance between the US and her country Latvia is a major factor in her decision-making process.
The former World No. 8 stated that despite considering the move, she is not completely certain about it.
"Actually I was thinking about this but I was not sure where because there are a few places that I like. I mean it's a very hard choice and if it was a bit closer that to Latvia, a little bit closer maybe that would be a bit easier, maybe I was like clear in my move to the US. To be honest it's in my mind but I'm not 100% sure about it," Ostapenko said [2:14].
When asked about her favorite places in America, Ostapenko mentioned Los Angeles, Florida, and Texas . She also talked about loving the winters in Latvia and the beauty of snowfall there and how everything is covered in white.
"I really like California a lot, like LA and those kinds of things and also maybe Florida is nice and Texas is nice. so it really depends. I mean I do actually like winter when in Latvia it's snowing and it's really pretty like when the sun is out there's a lot of snow. It's very white and I think it's also very pretty," she added [2:43].
Jelena Ostapenko faces Barbora Krejcikova in Wimbledon 2024 QF
Jelena Ostapenko will go up against 31st seed Barbora Krejcikova in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.
Ostapenko kicked off her campaign at the Grasscourt Major by defeating wildcard Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1, 6-2 in the first round and then defeated qualifier Daria Snigur 6-3, 6-0. The World No. 14 then triumphed over Bernarda Pera 6-1, 6-3 and Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively, to secure her spot in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Krejcikova defeated Veronika Kudermetova 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 7-5 and qualifier Katie Volynets 7-6(6), 7-6(5) in the first and second rounds, respectively. She advanced to the fourth round after her opponent, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, retired from their match due to a lower back issue. Krejcikova then defeated 11th seed Danielle Collins 7-5, 6-3 to secure her place in the last eight.
Jelena Ostapenko and Barbora Krejcikova have faced each other seven times on the WTA Tour, with the Latvian winning in five of those encounters. Their most recent match-up was in the final of the 2023 Rothesay Classic in Birmingham which Ostapenko won 7-6(8), 6-4.