A love for animals and a 'life-changing' season, get to know Oksana Selekhmeteva

MADRID, Spain -- Last year, Oksana Selekhmeteva was ranked No. 161, and lost in the first round of qualifiers at the Mutua Madrid Open. This year, following a strong remaining 2025 season and a third round run at the Australian Open, Selekhmeteva will be making her Madrid main draw debut.

Now ranked No. 77 in the PIF WTA Rankings, the past year for Selekhmeteva has been her career best. Recently reaching her best rank of No. 71, back in Melbourne, she notched her first main draw Grand Slam win vs. Ella Seidel before earning her first top 30 win in the second round over Paula Badosa. Prior, she had passed through qualifiers four times at Slams but could not get that first win. 

"The Grand Slam has a different feeling. It gives you energy. That's how I felt, but I just went, I enjoyed it, and when I left the court, I was crying," Selekhmeteva said of the win over Badosa. "I just couldn't believe that it's happening to me because I know through how many moments -- injuries, tough moments, moving to Spain when you are 15 alone, it's tough."

Selekhmeteva said she's excited that's able to play more a swing calendar, starting in Australia, the Middle East and recently doing the Sunshine Double for the first time. She'll begin her clay-court season in Madrid, this time as a direct entry. 

"Now, I'm in main draw directly without having to qualify -- this season has been life changing," Selekhmeteva said. 

From her move to Spain to her signature shot and her dream animal experience, get to know Selekhmeteva from her chat with wtatennis.com:

She moved to Spain when she was 15 years old

Now 23, Selekhmeteva moved to Barcelona, Spain alone when she was 15 years old and didn't know the language. Her parents would visit here and there, but had to come back-and-forth on tourist visas.

"I got a student visa, so I was practicing there alone, cooking alone, but it was good that the house wasn't so far from the club, so I was using a bike going to the shop alone," Selekhmeteva said. "Basically, I think it's good thing, but also could be a bad thing, but we didn't have the other choice. I think it was good experience to build as as a player."

In 2023, she suffered a left shoulder injury the sidelined her for seven months, causing her ranking to slip from as high as No. 138 in 2022 to No. 908 in February 2024. Ultimately the TEC Carles Ferrer Salat, an academy in Barcelona that blends high-level training with a broader social mission, brought Selekhmeteva in.

"It's been harsh," Selekhmeteva said of the injury. "I'm grateful for what they did for me. They put me back on track in terms of health and in tennis, but not only for that. The social justice -- the mission that they have -- it's not just to build tennis players or just only focus on tennis."

Her signature 'jamón' shot

One of the unique aspects of the lefty's play-style is her noticeable double-handed, backhand slice, which Selekhmeteva has certainly heard of people's awe with the shot. 

"Everybody's saying that," she laughed. "The technique is kind of weird. They say it looks like I'm cutting something, like a jamón here in Spain. That's what they say that's what it looks like. I like the shot, it's good. Sometimes to change the rhythm, it's good. I like to play aggressive."

Selekhmeteva said she has videos of herself when she was 6 years old, and she could see the slice develop way back in her youth. Though she maybe credited her childhood coach for noticing it, the shot came natural to her, and it's something that she's honed in over the years. 

"It just came natural when I was a kid, and everybody was seeing this kid 7 years old doing the slices on court, and everybody was like, 'What is going on?' [My childhood coach] goes, 'you normally see the kids go, run and try to put the ball, and I was just doing slices.'"

Animals are her favorite

Selekhmeteva is a huge fan of animals, specifically dogs and cats, and she owns a 3-year-old poodle. She didn't have a dog growing up, but fell in love with animals through service opportunities at animal shelters through the TEC Carles Ferrer Salat while she was there. 

"What was more close to me is to help animals, homeless animals and cats and dogs," Selekhmeteva. "I would just go to shelters and help. The sentence that they teach is 'Any help counts, any action counts.'"

She was hoping to her bring her furry companion from Barcelona, where she resides, to Madrid for the tournament, but she was unable to do so. However, she's definitely open to the idea of bringing her dog to some tournaments here and there.

"Not every single week because I'm not going to do this, but maybe maybe some weeks, I would love to," Selekhmeteva said. 

Her dream? Selekhmeteva said she wants to go to capybara cafe, and her love for the animal came from TikTok. She even has a small capybara on her tennis bag, too. 

"I see the dogs here, and I'm in love with small dogs. I just see animals and I'm in love with animals so I cannot even choose [a favorite]," Selekhmeteva said.