Kostyuk slams Sabalenka after the controversy in Madrid: "She admitted she did it on purpose"

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Marta Kostyuk is emerging as one of the top tennis players to watch in this year 2025. The 22-year-old Ukrainian continues to take steps forward in her progress and dreams of getting closer to the Top 10 and reaching the final rounds of major tournaments. At the WTA in Rome, Marta will have the opportunity to play against Aryna Sabalenka again. Expectations are high, as in their last match in Madrid, tension was palpable.

During a moment in the tiebreak of the second set, Sabalenka stopped the second serve when she was trailing 4-5, claiming that the rain was affecting her serve. She knew that, according to the rules, she would have the first serve upon resuming play. This unsettled Kostyuk, who was outraged by what happened, while the chair umpire remained passive. In an interview with BTU, the Ukrainian reflects on the events from a week ago in Madrid and looks forward to facing her again this Monday in Rome.

Approaching Sabalenka

I gave it my all. It was probably the first time I faced a fully focused Top 2 player, giving everything on the court. At times, I fell a bit short, but that's tennis. Sometimes things go your way, and sometimes they don't. What mattered most was that I left proud of myself, of my mentality, of how I fought, regardless of the score, circumstances, or time. It was a high-level match on my part. Only one could win, and that day it wasn't me.

Regarding the incident in Madrid with Aryna

We have thought about contacting the WTA, Sandra Zanevska, to ask a few things. Perhaps we will visit her at Roland Garros. Nothing will change for now. These kinds of things have their trick. It doesn't matter what the rules say; what a chair umpire says is almost impossible to change. Everything happens in a split second. What happened was strange. If Sabalenka had stopped before serving her first serve, there wouldn't have been a problem, but the point had already begun, so stopping was not permitted. The most absurd part is that she later admitted in an interview that she did it on purpose to avoid a possible double fault. I have many questions and zero answers. Now, she will have to live with the decision she made.

Slow surfaces in Rome

I believe that benefits me. Aryna will have to cover more court because the rallies here will be longer, unlike in Madrid, where everything happens faster. I will have more time to hit the ball. She has a heavy serve that hits deep, with powerful shots. In Madrid, with the altitude, it was tough to face that. These conditions, I think, suit my game better. She is the world number 1. It will always be a challenge, no matter the surface or the tournament.
 

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Kostyuk carga contra Sabalenka tras la polémica de Madrid: "Admitió que lo hizo adrede"