For the first time in her career, Jelena Ostapenko is entering a tournament as the defending champion. Last year in Paris, the Latvian stunned the draw, and the world, by winning her first title on a Grand Slam stage while unseeded.

"She's in unknown territory emotionally coming in as the defending champion," Ostapenko's coach David Taylor said.

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Now, she returns to the site of her biggest triumph with the pressure of defending 2,000 points on her shoulders.

"Now coming back you're not a surprise anymore—you're [No. 5] in the world," Taylor said. "Everyone's so much more aware of how she plays, what her tendencies are."

Her clay-court season so far hasn't been very promising with a 3-3 record. She won one round in Stuttgart before dropping her opener in Madrid, and then she reached the quarterfinals in Rome. Last year going into Paris, Ostapenko's European clay record was an impressive 9-3, though that included qualifying matches.

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