Jelena Ostapenko reveals real reason why she likes Serena Williams the best

Jelena Ostapenko recently disclosed why she considers Serena Williams the best athlete. According to Ostapenko, the fact that the legendary American wore her heart on her sleeve during her playing days made her more appealing to the Latvian compared to other athletes.

Ostapenko, who won the 2017 French Open women’s singles title and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 5 in singles back in 2018, sat down for an interview with Roland-Garros.com during her recent Madrid Open campaign. Here, she spoke up about always having a soft corner for athletes who aren’t afraid to show their emotions when competing.

“I honestly always like in general, when I watch sports, I always liked emotional people, the people who always show and share their emotions,” the Latvian said.

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She went on to also lay bare her dislike for those who barely bring their emotions to the forefront during competition. The current WTA No. 21 in singles went on to state that she herself is a firebrand on court because of her preferences.

"I don't really like people who are just walking and just not showing much emotions, because for me, it's so boring to watch those people doing sports. So I'm really like myself always on the court. And I think that's what people like about me," she added.

Later, Jelena Ostapenko named Serena Williams the best among all the athletes she has seen in action so far in terms of expressing their emotions while playing.

"I think Serena is the best so far. She's like all those emotions, I love them," Ostapenko concluded.

Interestingly, earlier this year, Ostapenko matched a feat achieved by Williams back in 2012.

Jelena Ostapenko repeated Serena Williams feat at Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2025 in Stuttgart

At this year's edition of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Jelena Ostapenko clinched the prestigious claycourt title. What made Ostapenko's achievement even more remarkable was the fact that she defeated then-No. 2 Iga Swiatek and reigning No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals and final of the WTA 500-level event respectively.

This made the Latvian the first woman to win a claycourt title by beating the top two players in the world since Serena Williams did the same on the 2012 Madrid Open's infamous blue clay. That year in the Spanish capital, Williams came out on top against then-No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the last eight and then went on to conquer the top-ranked Victoria Azarenka in the final.

Serena Williams retired from tennis at the 2022 US Open. Meanwhile, 27-year-old Ostapenko's latest outing came at this year's Italian Open, where she suffered a fourth-round loss to eventual champion Jasmine Paolini.

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Sudipto Pati

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

Sudipto has followed Tennis since the early 2000s and stays up-to-date with the sport by following both active and former Tennis players, and seasoned journalists. He also follows ATP and WTA updates, watches documentaries and interviews of professionals, and only reads esteemed publications. He sources all information for his articles only from credible publications stays away from unsubstantiated claims. In just a matter of 3 months, he has gained a readership of almost 2 million at Sportskeeda!

Sudipto admires Rafael Nadal for his fiercely competitive on-court nature and his ability to make memorable comebacks after injury layoffs. The Spaniard may be the GOAT for him, but he also respects the accomplishments of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

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