Q&A: Lindstedt on Ostapenko pairing and her deadly power

At 42, Robert Lindstedt is set to become the oldest man in the Open era to contest a Wimbledon championship match on Sunday after reaching his first mixed doubles final. The Swede and 22-year-old Jelena Ostapenko have found instant chemistry on their team debut in spite of some entertaining communication issues that left Lindstedt on the receiving end of two bullseye shots fired off the Latvian’s serve.

The two have strung together five victories to reach the title match, twice coming back from a set down. Lindstedt is a three-time men’s doubles finalist at the All England Club and a 22-time doubles winner on the ATP tour, highlighted by his 2014 Australian Open triumph with Lukasz Kubot. Baseline caught up with the former doubles world No. 3 to discuss his time on court with Ostapenko and the secret to their success.

First off, have to ask about the two times Jelena pegged you in the head. Who was at fault and how's the head?

The first one, I made a massive fake. The call was to serve T and Ninomiya had hit really good backhand returns, so I wanted to make her see me. Then Jelena changed the serve to wide without telling me so I moved into that one. It’s as much my fault as it was hers.

The second one, the call was T again, and I was trying to crowd the middle. My positioning was maybe not optimal but I’m blaming Jelena on this one! Either way, it really woke us up and funnily enough, turned the match around for us both times. The head’s fine. It’s massive so it’s strange people haven’t hit it before.

How did the two of you decide to make your team debut here?

Jelena has asked me a couple times before but I’ve either been busy or chosen not to play mixed. This time I put my name on the looking list and then she texted me the next day. So I was very, very happy to play.

For you, Wimbledon has produced highs and some tough lows, with three runner-up finishes in men’s doubles. What would it mean to you to finally join the winner’s club at SW19?

Wimbledon is my absolute favorite event. A lot of bittersweet moments. To be in a final during Wimbledon is the pinnacle of tennis. No matter what event you make it in, it’s an amazing feeling.

Talk about playing with Jelena: she’s nearly half your age, has a youthful spunk about her and can really dictate from the ground when she’s on. How have you found the partnership?

She is an amazing player, unbelievable off the baseline. Makes it really easy for me to play. I can almost play like men’s doubles. I don’t have to throw myself in, trying to intercept crosses because I can really trust her from the back. She can stay with most guys so I can wait for the right opportunity instead of taking a chance.

What makes the two of you a formidable team and how are you approaching the final against Latisha Chan and Ivan Dodig, who have won consecutive French Open titles?

Jelena is so good and isn’t afraid of power. She absorbs it quite well and can create it well on on her own, which I haven’t experienced much before. The final will be a tough one. They’ve played together for a while and done really well. With game styles like ours—we’re both power hitters—we’ll focus more on us than about them.