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Tennis News –
Ukraine’s No. 2 Marta Kostyuk spoke exclusively to BTU.org.ua after reaching the fourth round of the US Open for the first time in her career."People don’t realize the level of focus we need during a match" - Marta Kostyuk | BTU Exclusive In the third round, Kostyuk came from a set down to defeat France’s Diane Parry, advancing to the second week in New York. With the win, she became the last remaining Ukrainian in both singles and doubles at this year’s tournament. – Marta, congratulations on reaching the fourth round in New York for the first time. Given the health issues you faced in Cincinnati, did you expect to make the second week at a major? – The last three months have been quite difficult, so I came to the US Open just hoping to get through the first round - especially after failing to do that at the previous two Slams. That’s why every step forward here has been a huge motivation for me. – Each of your three matches during the first week of the US Open had its own emotional and physical challenges. How would you assess your performance in each of them? And which one was the toughest for you? The first-round match against Katie Boulter was actually quite smooth from start to finish - probably one of the smoothest Slam openers I’ve ever had (laughs). The second and third matches were much tougher. The most difficult one was against Zeynep Sonmez - she played at a really high level, and the intensity was constant. I knew I couldn’t afford to relax for even a single point. Yesterday’s match didn’t start well for me. Afterward, Sandra [my coach] and I talked about how it reminded us of my first set against Sara Bejlek at Roland Garros - the feeling was very similar. She actually mentioned it to my husband during the match, and I realized it too, but only afterward. When I got into the second set, I felt proud of the fact that I managed to reset and play differently - regardless of how the match would end. The fact that I ended up winning made it even more special, because it’s not always easy to change your game mid-match when things aren’t working from the start. So all three matches had their challenges, but the second one was definitely the most intense for me. – At least in the first set today, it seemed like something was bothering or frustrating you. Was there anything that made it hard to settle into the match? – No, I just had a rough start and couldn’t figure out what exactly was going wrong for quite a while. I wasn’t feeling the ball well. And there’s also the pressure factor - when you play a third-round match against someone outside the top 100, there’s always that thought in the back of your mind that you should win. I really didn’t want to let this match slip away, and I think that’s why I showed more emotion than, say, when I’m playing someone from the top 3.  – After the match, you went straight back to the practice court. Whose idea was that, and what exactly did you want to work on? – I actually did the same thing on Thursday after my match - just not on the main courts. There were a few parts of my game I wasn’t feeling great about, and sometimes it really helps to address those things right after a tough match that kind of, you know, “squeezes” you emotionally (laughs). I used to do that even back when I was training with my mom. It helps release some of the emotions, hit a few balls without pressure, and focus on specific things that need adjusting. - Casper Ruud and Novak Djokovic have both spoken about the strong smell of marijuana on the courts, saying it can be distracting. What’s your take on that? And more broadly - how much can things like crowd noise or smells affect your focus during a match? – I honestly couldn’t tell you what exactly the Arthur Ashe court smells like (laughs). But it is a real issue - it happened in Cincinnati too. Out on the streets, especially in the evening, the smell is very noticeable, and it’s unpleasant. But I’ve been lucky so far not to experience it on court (laughs). In general, I don’t think people realize the level of concentration we have to maintain while playing. Tennis is an individual sport. In football or basketball, the environment is completely different - there’s constant noise, a whole team of players, and not everything depends on one person. Plus, the match time is fixed. In tennis, a match can last 40 minutes… or three and a half hours… or even five. When you step on court, it’s one-on-one. So when people ask, “How can you be distracted by someone shouting or walking past?”, I just want to say - grab a racket, go play even a practice match while someone’s constantly talking next to you. Then you’ll understand - it’s a completely different level of focus. There are days when I hear everything from the stands, and it gets to me - because your nervous system is on high alert, and every little thing feels amplified. And then there are days when you’re so locked in that you hear nothing. I think most players are like that: we usually pick up on what’s happening around us, and only sometimes are we able to truly shut it out. Nowadays, a lot of people are trying to turn tennis into a kind of show. But I don’t think that’s possible - because it’s a very different sport, and its nature just doesn’t allow for certain things to be brought in from the outside. |
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