WTA: Elena Ostapenko – Either coaching everywhere or nowhere

Jelena Ostapenko is currently at the WTA tournament in Seoul. The Latvian will be the defending champion in South Korea and has declared herself before the tournament starts.

Coaching Jelena Ostapenko can be one of the great pleasures of international tennis. On those days when the 2017 French Open winner hits every ball, is not in desperate gestures and is otherwise in a good mood.

The 21-year-old is still among the top ten in the world rankings, with 21 victories and 17 defeats in the current campaign. The Miami final (defeat to Sloane Stephens) stands out, and of course the semi-final in Wimbledon, where Ostapenko Angelique Kerber lost out.

There, however, the active coaching during the match would have been against the rules, as in the other three Grand Slam tournaments. What Yelena Ostapenko does not understand.

“I don’t know if it makes sense to allow it on the regular WTA tour if we can’t use it with the majors,” Ostapenko said before starting to defend her title at the WTA tournament in Seoul. “I think we need a uniform rule for all tournaments. Either on-court coaching is allowed at all tournaments or there is no coaching at all.”

Ostapenko itself has an interesting access. “Sometimes I think I don’t need it. Even when I’ve lost a sentence, I know what to change. On the other hand, sometimes it might be a good idea to get a second opinion.”

Jelena Ostapenko has also formed an opinion about the events at the final of the US Open. Somehow everyone was a little responsible for the escalation: Serena Williams was probably under a lot of pressure, but on the other hand Carlos Ramos might have spared her the third warning. Ostapenko’s reason for it: Because it was a Grand Slam final, not a smaller tournament.

Here the single tableau in Seoul