Ostapenko: I made a lot of mistakes and hurried in the decisive balls – Sports

Too many mistakes were made in the first round match of the Tokyo Olympic Games and several decisive games were rushed, which also contributed to the failure to some extent, tennis player Alona Ostapenko said in a conversation with the Latvian media.

It has already been reported that Latvian tennis player Alona Ostapenko did not win the first round of the Tokyo Olympic Games on Sunday, thus she and Anastasia Sevastova have only left in the doubles competition.

Ostapenko in the first round of the game with the result 4-6, 7-6 (7: 2), 4-6 failed against the athletes of the Russian Olympic Committee (OKR) Yelena Vesnin.

The first Latvian women’s tennis racket ranks 30th, but Vesina is in 305th place.

“Vesina played a good game, but my performance was not at the best level. I made a lot of mistakes and rushed in the decisive balls,” Ostapenko comments on the performance in the first round of the singles. “It’s unfortunate that I suffered a loss at the Olympics so quickly because it rarely happens, so I want to play as best I can.”

The tennis player did not hide that he was a little nervous during the game, but did not hesitate to praise the opponent, who returned to the professional tour only this year. Previously, he played his last game on the WTA tour in 2018, but later he gave birth to a child, as a result of which he had to put tennis in the background.

“I knew it wouldn’t be easy because she hadn’t played in about three years before. Vesne had nothing to lose. It wasn’t easy to play against her because both services were able to perform at the first service level, so I didn’t see much chance of maturing,” repeatedly loudly revealed that it is very hot.

“There were probably too many nerves today, but I really wanted to win. Without it, I would probably play better,” admits the tennis player. “I always want to play well and bring back a medal. Maybe that’s why I felt a little pressure.”

Before the third set, the tennis players take a heat break in Tokyo and go to the changing rooms to cool off. In a conversation with the Russian media, Vesin revealed after the game that she had benefited from the break because she had managed to catch her breath and cool down. Meanwhile, Ostapenko’s break was probably disturbing, because right at the end of the second set, the tennis player repeatedly performed strong and elusive services.

“Maybe we didn’t need a break, because we had already spent two hours on the court at that time, so it demanded coolness. I think there were about +40 Celsius on the court,” says Ostapenko about the glow at the open tennis court.

Also, Ostapenko did not hide that “hard” pavement areas, such as in Tokyo, are not her favorites.

“This was my first lawn tournament on the hard surface. If there was another tournament in between, it would be easier to get used to. The first tournament was the Olympics. It was a little hard to get used to,” the tennis player did not hide.

In the doubles tournament, Ostapenko and Sevastova will compete with Australians Samant Stosur and Ellen Peres. This game will also take place on Sunday. Both tennis players have not yet managed to work together in training.

“Hopefully, we will win because we want to represent our country at the Olympics,” Ostapenko said. “I’ve played Stosuru in doubles before. I don’t know the other partner.”

“I know how Stosura plays. I’ve watched some of her games. The main thing is that Nastja and I have enough energy to play, because they both had long matches,” says the Latvian tennis player.

In general, Ostapenko enjoys the Olympic ceremony, but there are some things that are not really satisfying. These include previously publicly discarded cardboard beds and not all food for the athlete goes to heart. The greatest joy is provided by the prevailing energy in the Latvian delegation, which is a crowd of only 33 athletes. It is the small number of people that allows athletes to get to know the rest of the delegation better.

64 tennis players take part in the single-player tournament, seven victories are needed to win the title.

Five years ago in Rio de Janeiro, the champion was the unsown Puerto Rican tennis player Monica Puja, who is not currently pursuing a professional career. In his debut in three sets, Ostapenko acknowledged Stosura’s superiority.

For the fifth time in the history of the Olympic Games, the competition will take place on hard courts.

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