Marta Kostyuk comprehends her commitment to winning against Belarusian and Russian players amidst the ongoing Ukraine war
Follow Us
Marta Kostyuk
Marta Kostyuk, the young player from Ukraine advanced into the second round of the 2022 Guadalajara Open after defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in straight sets. She was defeated at the US Open by the Russian Victoria Azarenka. She had always been vocal about her support for her country and has strongly put forward her opinions.
During an interview post the first-round win, Kostyuk expressed her pleasure to win over the Belarusian and seemed happy with the result after adapting to the conditions when asked about her thoughts on the match against the Belarusian player. She believed that at such matches, she loves to come out as the winner.
She said “It’s hard at times. Sometimes it’s easier. Always different. I try to focus on something else, not think about who she is. Obviously, it’s better when I win these matches, because more often I lose to these players. Unpleasant sensations. In general, losing is unpleasant, but these are the matches you always want to win. I feel responsible, I want to win for my country and all that. In general, everything is fine. Just trying to think of other things.”
“If something goes wrong, you don’t feel ready”: Marta Kostyuk on her performance
She accessed her own performance of her match and said “All was good. The first set went by quickly. The second one was a bit of a struggle, which is good because in every match you want to fight to be better prepared for the next game. If you win easily, then it seems that the next match should be easy. And then, if something goes wrong, you don’t feel ready.“
Marta Kostyuk had denied participating in some exhibition events prior to the US Open over the presence of Belarus and Russian players. She has always spoken out about the Ukrainian players receiving not enough support and criticizing the authorities for allowing Russian and Belarusian players to continue playing on the Tour while the two nations are at war.
She did the unthinkable when she denied shaking hands as part of the customary handshake post the end of the match with Victoria Azarenka where she had lost to her in the second round of the US Open.
She had even expressed her disgust and anger during the Cincinnati Open when a Ukrainian supporter was removed from the stands and further escorted out from the stadium. She had even accused Azarenka, a member of the WTA council of favoring Russian and Belarus players while ignoring the players from Ukraine and ignoring their claims.
Also Read: Stefanos Tsitsipas discusses his mental state after “worst career performance” at 2022 US Open
Stay Updated!
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)