FROM her iconic bonkers outfits to her new friendship with Lil Wayne, Wimbledon star Jelena Ostapenko walks to the beat of her own drum.
And while she has made great strides in the SW19 draw this fortnight, Ostapenko has done so while hardly running at all.
The former French Open winner, 27, has covered barely two miles on her way to the quarter-finals.
In fact, during her second round victory over Daria Snigur, she ran just 660 metres.
All this is to say, Ostapenko plays by her own rules.
Despite legally being called Jelena, her friends and family call her Alona – which was not on the Latvian name calendar when she was born.
When she won at Roland Garros in 2017, aged just 19, Ostapenko was decked out in the same Adidas kit as most of the German brand’s other players.
She later ditched the mainstream clothing provider, however, and now turns heads wearing Latvian brand DK One.
Ostapenko can regularly be seen decked out in unusual dresses, from garish colours to unusual designs – she does not care a jot about convention.
Nor is she bothered about mixing it with the best in the world.
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She has a 4-0 winning head-to-head against world No1 Iga Swiatek, relishing in bashing the ball past the Pole.
Ostapenko’s quirkiness has seen her attract a new biggest fan – Lil Wayne.
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After he commented on one of her posts, Ostapenko revealed: “He also sent me a message saying that he’s a big fan of me as well. So for me, that was like… I was staring at my phone.
“I stopped and I was staring at my phone for like five minutes. I couldn’t believe Lil Wayne texted me. I mean, it’s amazing.
“I would love to see him in my box, maybe when I’m playing in the US Open or when I’m in the US I would love to see him watching me play, of course!”
After her win over Yulia Putintseva yesterday, the rapper posted a picture of Ostapenko, writing: “Jelena Jelena Jelena!!! I am and I been a huge fkn fan!!! a joy to watch…EVERY TIME!”
Another popular feature of Ostapenko’s matches have been her amazing facial expressions.
Not one to wear a poker face, the Latvian makes fans completely aware of how she is feeling.
From sarcastic smiles to dramatic shrugs, Ostapenko regularly draws giggles from fans.
She also possesses a habit of making awful challenges, with the hawk-eye screen sometimes barely big enough to even register the ball mark in comparison to the line.
But she doesn’t care, she does what she wants.
Some players are… it’s not boring but it’s like they’re always the same and they’re always behaving the same
Jelena Ostapenko
Speaking to The Athletic earlier this year, Ostapenko hardly shied away from her expressive personality.
She said: “Players like me and Daniil Medvedev, it’s fun to watch us.
“Some players are… it’s not boring but it’s like they’re always the same and they’re always behaving the same. It’s more entertaining to watch the players who are showing some emotions.”
Tomorrow on No1 Court she will take on fellow former Roland Garros champ Barbora Krejcikova, whose quiet demeanour could hardly be more different from hers.
On the challenge of facing the Czech, Ostapenko said: “Barbora, we actually played last year on grass, final of Birmingham. She’s also good player.
“But I think I have to focus more on what I have to do and just do my things.”
Doing her things is exactly what has made Ostapenko such a beloved figure among fans of the WTA Tour for her entire career.
As a former Wimbledon junior champion, as she so readily pointed out on court yesterday, perhaps now is her time to claim the main title.
And should she step out on Centre Court for the women’s final on Saturday, perhaps Lil Wayne will take her up on her offer of being in her player box, and help cheer her all the way to victory.
