Brutally honest Ostapenko fights back to see off Begu and enter fourth round

During the quiet weeks of warmup tournaments leading up to Wimbledon, the essence of Jelena Ostapenko was unleashed in full. For an hour of her opening-round encounter against Canada’s Rebecca Marino in Birmingham, she was on fire, winners searing from her racket as she swiftly built a 6-2, 5-1 lead.

But just as she seemed to be on the way to an easy victory, her level fell off. She found herself in a tussle, losing six games in a row before finally recovering to edge out the victory in three sets. Almost any player would have been unhappy with the collapse, but even in their frustration most people tend to deliver their thoughts with some level of tact. That is not Ostapenko’s style.

“She didn’t really do anything,” said Latvia’s Ostapenko to gasps from the crowd. “She didn’t change anything until that score. Then I started to fight against myself, I started to miss some balls. But I’m glad I won because, I mean, my level is better than hers and I showed it,”

The video of Ostapenko’s interview, posted on Twitter, immediately went viral, her plain speaking outraging some and angering others. It is not pleasant, nor does it betray even a hint of consideration for the feelings of her opponent, but Ostapenko’s brand of honesty is revelatory and interesting in its own way. Away from the cameras, tennis players are constantly appraising the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents, and not always in a constructive manner. Ostapenko says her thoughts out loud.

“Honestly, in the interviews you have to say what you think,” she said on Friday afternoon at Wimbledon. “What’s the reason of giving interviews if you’re not going to say what you’re thinking? I was always honest in the interviews and also with my friends and my