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Tennis News –
Ukraine’s No. 2 player Marta Kostyuk sat down with BTU.org.ua for an exclusive interview ahead of her fourth-round match in Rome. The 21-year-old opened up about the symbolic handshake with Daria Kasatkina, her fierce battle against Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid, and her involvement in a new fashion-focused project with the WTA.Exclusive: Marta Kostyuk on the Kasatkina handshake, Madrid battle with Sabalenka & WTA project – Congratulations on reaching the fourth round. You've had a dominant run so far in Rome, not dropping more than four games in a set across your first three matches. How do you feel about your performance so far? Are you satisfied with your game? Marta Kostyuk: Yes, I had a very solid start to the tournament. I’ve been feeling confident on court, reading my opponents well, and executing everything we planned with my team. There’s still a lot of work ahead, but I’m focused on taking it one step at a time. – Your previous match against Daria Kasatkina began even before you stepped on court. Together with the Ukrainian Tennis Federation, you released a joint statement making it clear that there would be a handshake after the match. In our tennis community, most people responded positively. What kind of feedback did you personally receive—if any? Marta Kostyuk: In fact, this step was the result of a long and thoughtful process. There was active and thorough communication involved, including with the Ukrainian Tennis Federation. Nothing was done hastily or unilaterally—it was a joint, well-considered decision. During the Billie Jean King Cup, we also spoke about it with other Ukrainian players. It was important to hear different perspectives. I’m glad it happened the way it did. I think it was a strong, symbolic, and necessary gesture. It’s important that the world sees and understands our position. And it was encouraging to see major outlets like the BBC and The Guardian pick up the story—it means the message was heard. Of course, everyone has the right to make their own choices. But I believe Daria is an example of how, even in difficult circumstances, you can remain human. That kind of thing deserves to be acknowledged. I received a lot of heartfelt, supportive messages. It was an important day—for me personally, and for our entire team. – Many players have been critical of the court conditions in Rome this year. What’s your take—are the courts really that bad this season? Marta Kostyuk: To be honest, I’ve never had particularly warm memories of Rome (laughs). But jokes aside, the court conditions really do leave a lot to be desired. And to be fair, this isn’t exactly a new issue—it feels like the situation stays the same year after year. I’ve been playing here since 2021, and I can’t recall a single time when the surface felt truly even and consistent. Maybe things were different in the past, but in my experience, this is just the reality of this tournament now.  – In the fourth round, you'll face Aryna Sabalenka. Your last meeting in Madrid was one of the most talked-about matches of the tournament. Now that a week has passed, how would you assess your performance in that match? And did the WTA ever respond to the controversial moment during the second-set tiebreak? Marta Kostyuk: I feel really good about that match. I truly gave it everything I had. It was probably the first time I faced a top-2 player and stepped on court fully focused and ready to leave it all out there. I came up just a little short—but that’s tennis, sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don’t. The most important thing is that I was proud of myself: of my mindset, the way I fought, regardless of the score, the circumstances, or the weather. It was a really high-level performance from me. And in matches like that, someone has to win… this time, it wasn’t me. As for the tiebreak incident... Yes, we did consider contacting the WTA—Sandra [Zanevska] wanted to raise a few questions. Maybe we’ll revisit it during Roland Garros. Of course, nothing will change now. Situations like that are tricky. No matter what the rules say, the chair umpire’s decision in real time is almost impossible to overturn—it all happens in a split second. And honestly, it was a strange one. If Sabalenka had stopped the point before the serve, I wouldn’t have had any issue. But the point had already started, and at that stage, she wasn’t allowed to stop it. The most absurd part is that she later admitted in an interview that she did it on purpose—to avoid serving a double fault. I have a lot of questions and no answers. But that’s how it goes sometimes. Now she has to live with that decision (laughs). – Elina Svitolina told us in an interview that the courts in Rome are very slow and heavy with clay. Against Sabalenka, would you say that works more in your favor or not? Marta Kostyuk: I’d say it works more in my favor. Aryna will have to cover more ground because the rallies are longer on this surface—it’s not like Madrid, where everything happens faster. Here, I’ll have more time to track down balls. She has a very heavy serve and hits deep, powerful shots, and in Madrid—with the altitude and the quick court—it was especially tough to counter that. So I feel like these conditions suit my game a bit better. That said, Aryna isn’t just any opponent—she’s the world No. 1. It’s always going to be a challenge, no matter the surface or the venue. We’ll see how it plays out.  – Elina Svitolina told us in an interview that the courts in Rome are very slow and heavy with clay. Against Sabalenka, would you say that works more in your favor or not? Marta Kostyuk: I’d say it works more in my favor. Aryna will have to cover more ground because the rallies are longer on this surface—it’s not like Madrid, where everything happens faster. Here, I’ll have more time to track down balls. She has a very heavy serve and hits deep, powerful shots, and in Madrid—with the altitude and the quick court—it was especially tough to counter that. So I feel like these conditions suit my game a bit better. That said, Aryna isn’t just any opponent—she’s the world No. 1. It’s always going to be a challenge, no matter the surface or the venue. We’ll see how it plays out. – In Madrid, the WTA released a very stylish video featuring you in the lead role. And in Rome, we’ve already seen some equally eye-catching photos. Is this part of an ongoing fashion collaboration or just spontaneous content? Marta Kostyuk: It’s actually part of a longer-term collaboration. It all started just a few days before the Madrid tournament—someone reached out about the project, and within about a week we had already shot the first episode. I’m really curious to see where this goes, because the team has so many ideas. This space—especially in women’s tennis—is still very underdeveloped. I hope we’re able to create something bold and high-quality. More than anything, we want to bring our full vision to life. It’s a project I feel very connected to, and I’m genuinely enjoying the process. I really hope fans will enjoy it as much as I do. |
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