WIMBLEDON, England — When the 2017 French Open champion travels internationally, she carries a passport that says Jelena Ostapenko. The same name is listed on the WTA rankings. “J. Ostapenko” was engraved on the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen after her victory at Roland Garros last month.
But during her quarterfinal match in Paris, one Latvian fan tried to start chants of “Al-Yo-Na,” which were met with perplexed silence by the crowd.
Ostapenko, 20, made a name for herself by winning the French Open title — it just happened to be a name different from what those close to her use.