Latvian breakout star Jelena Ostapenko revealed she received a call from the country's president Raimonds Vejonis after her historic run to the French Open final.
Ostapenko celebrated her 20th birthday on Thursday by becoming the first Latvian to reach a Grand Slam final after blasting past Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky in three sets.
The world number 47 is chasing a first tour-level title at Roland Garros and would be the tournament's lowest-ranked champion in history.
"Yesterday a lot of calls from Latvia, even the president of the country called. So was really nice the attention from my country," Ostapenko said on Friday.
"He actually called my mom. So that's what she told me. I mean, because nobody knows my phone.
"But yeah, it was really nice, because the president called. That means a lot already."
Ostapenko, the 2014 junior Wimbledon champion, admitted she expects quite a reception when she returns home after her stunning display in Paris.
"Tennis is not popular in our country because it's a kind of expensive sport," said Ostapenko, who would be the first unseeded player ever to win the French Open.
"I think probably I will have a lot of attention when I come back home."
Ostapenko faces third seed Simona Halep, who lost to Maria Sharapova in the 2014 final, on Saturday with a first- time major champion set to be crowned.
"I need to stay aggressive and to play my game. But it's going to be a tough match and I have to be ready for it," said Ostapenko.
"Yesterday in the second set I was a little bit nervous. Maybe you couldn't see that, but I was a little bit nervous inside.
"But today I'm feeling fine because tomorrow is the final. So I'm just going to prepare and enjoy the final tomorrow.
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