Kostyuk reveals the drama experienced before going to play today at Roland Garros: "Look at this photo"

Jose Morón | 24 May 2026 | 17.51

Kostyuk reveals the drama experienced before going out to play today at Roland Garros: "I received this photo". Photo: Getty

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Marta Kostyuk returned to the tennis courts today after her triumph in Madrid with an emotional victory at Roland Garros. This win was not just about triumphing in Paris but also about achieving it under the circumstances she faced. In a press conference, the Ukrainian player revealed the difficult situation she experienced just before stepping onto the court, having received sad news regarding her family.

Ukrainian players are currently experiencing a moment of tremendous joy in sports, with Kostyuk and Svitolina's victories in the last two WTA 1000 tournaments. This contrasts with the challenges their families are facing back in their country, as exemplified by the incident near Marta's home where a missile fell just meters away. She learned about this right before her first-round match at Roland Garros.

The ordeal Marta Kostyuk faced before her Roland Garros debut

I have this image of my parents' house and everything around it. I don't have a video, but this is what I received today at 8 a.m. I had to live through it, face it, and go out to play. I didn't know what to expect from myself. I didn't know how my concentration would be, how I would be able to control my emotions or thoughts. There were moments during the match where I would go back to thinking about it because most of the morning, I felt sick just thinking that if it had been 100 meters closer, today I probably wouldn't have a mother or a sister.

Processing what happened before a match

It was really difficult to process it so quickly and then go out to play. That's why I'm also very happy to have played the first match because I don't know what the result would have been if I had played the last one, for example. Yes, it's tough, but I'm very proud of myself today, of how we all handled it, and, you know, happy to be in the second round and that everyone is alive.