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Jelena Ostapenko adds coach David Taylor into the mix

By Harry Floyd

SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 26: Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia signs autographs after her singles match against Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic during day 5 of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global at Singapore Sports Hub on October 26, 2017 in Singapore. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images for WTA)
SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 26: Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia signs autographs after her singles match against Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic during day 5 of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global at Singapore Sports Hub on October 26, 2017 in Singapore. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images for WTA) /
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Jelena Ostapenko adds a new coach into her rotation for the upcoming 2018 WTA Tour. David Taylor joins her team heading into early WTA action.

Jelena Ostapenko is gearing up for another strong year on the WTA Tour.

Winning the 2017 French Open singles title over now world No. 1 Simona Halep, the young Latvian tennis star rose to new heights. She would mount the comeback over Halep, taking their finals meeting at Roland Garros in three sets while winning 4–6, 6–4, 6–3.

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Ostapenko has announced that she is already working with coach David Taylor in Australia. While her mother remains her head coach, Taylor is an addition to the team. Parting ways with coach Anabel Medina Garrigues, the Latvian says that it was a friendly split.

Jelena Ostapenko saw her best performances in all four of the Grand Slams in 2017.

The 2018 WTA Tour is sure to be another career year for Ostapenko. At just 20-years-old, she has already accomplished so much.

There is no doubt that she will continue to challenge the best in women’s single tennis this coming year. Last tour, Ostapenko reached the third round of play at Melbourne Park. Following up that Grand Slam run with a title at the French Open, she would complete a stellar year on tour. Ending the year as the world No. 7, Ostapenko is currently in her career best position yet in the women’s singles rankings.

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Jelena Ostapenko and her new coach will work together for 15 weeks. Taylor is part of the WTA Coach Program Advisory Board and has worked with players such as Samantha Stosur, Alicia Molik, Ana Ivanovic and Martina Hingis. His expertise will be crucial for the young Latvian tennis star. As one of the rising stars in the sport of women’s singles tennis, Ostapenko is poised for another breakout year on the WTA Tour. She will look to start the year in fine form next month and add to her two career singles titles. Along with her Grand Slam victory, she also won a title in Seoul. Stay tuned to see how Ostapenko and other top players in women’s singles tennis fare in the early tournaments on the 2018 WTA Tour.

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