“It’s a game style I don’t understand well,” Iga Swiatek comments on having negative feelings before facing ‘kryptonite’ Jelena Ostapenko

Iga Swiatek has never won a single match against Jelena Ostapenko.

“It’s a game style I don’t understand well,” Iga Swiatek comments on having negative feelings before facing ‘kryptonite’ Jelena Ostapenko

Iga Swiatek and Jelena Ostapenko (Credits: X)

Iga Swiatek has taken the tennis world by storm with her irrefutable victories in the WTA and a formidable game style that has helped the Pole decimate challenges from the top competitors on the Tour.

However, Swiatek has faced an alarming challenge at the hands of her arch-nemesis, Jelena Ostapenko, who has time and again proved to be her kryptonite. The 22-year-old has frequently provided the tennis world with her insight on the Latvian professional, citing her negative feelings about the latter’s unorthodox game style.

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In a recent documentary, the World No. 1 was asked about her feelings when facing Ostapenko in tournaments. In her response, the Pole addressed facing the 26-year-old on the tour, stating the unpredictability of the Latvian’s game style, which gets her moving out of her comfort zone.

FS Video
It's more that her game style doesn't really fit mine. I sometimes play other players that I love playing against, where I feel like it's perfect for my game style, that I have lots of control and that, even if they play amazingly well, it's not challenging for me when they try to change it up during the match, or I'm able to anticipate what they can come up with better and adjust to that.
Iga Swiatek said

The Pole added another feat to her list after she downed Jessica Pegula, lifted the season’s WTA Finals title, and finished as the year-end World No. 1.

With her, she's really unpredictable. In matches with her there's not that much logic always or rhythm, so it's a game style I don't understand that well. But I wouldn't connect it with fear or any other feelings I might be having as those are the same I usually have before the matches.
She further added

Iga Swiatek head-to-head with Jelena Ostapenko

Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek has squared off against Jelena Ostapenko four times on the tour and, surprisingly, has never won a single encounter against the Latvian. 

Jelena Ostapenko and Iga Swiatek (Credits: TVP)

Swiatek’s maiden confrontation with the 26-year-old came at the 2019 Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham, where she suffered a straight-set shock defeat in the event’s first round. 

The Pole’s second face-off with Ostapenko went down during the fourth round of the 2021 BNP Paribas Open, where history was repeated, resulting in a straight-set loss for the former.

The duo clashed next at the 2023 Dubai Duty Free Championship, where, despite putting on a good fighting spirit, the Pole lost the hard-hitting contest in three sets. Ostapenko and Swiatek most recently battled it out at the season’s US Open, where she lost the contest after gaining a one-set lead against World No. 13.

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