Kostyuk: "I don't think about winning, I'm here to represent Ukraine and enjoy"

Fernando Murciego | 2 Jun 2026 | 17.41

Kostyuk: "I'm not thinking about winning, I'm here to represent Ukraine and enjoy." Source: Getty

Streaming French Open live tennis

🎾 Felix Auger Aliassime vs Flavio Cobolli

Sign up with Bet365 here
Make your first deposit of at least €5
Go to the “Live” section and watch every match

Watch the match on Bet365

Marta Kostyuk continues on autopilot at Roland Garros, where she has broken through to reach her first Grand Slam semifinals. A supreme level of tennis that makes her seem unbeatable.

Because no one is invincible, not even Marta Kostyuk, although the sensation the Ukrainian has given us in recent months may make us doubt that. At some point, she will lose a match again, but perhaps not here at Roland Garros, where she is just two steps away from conquering her first Grand Slam. Not even the looming shadow of Elina Svitolina could stop her, extending her streak to 17 consecutive victories, a madness that positions her as the most in-form player on tour. If we also take into account her personal story, her latest press conference statements make even more sense.

Her coach's gesture that turned the match around

"I don't think she was really angry, but rather very intense, so she showed me what I had to do: hit the ball that I hadn't hit. I tried to lift it, but I failed. It was at the beginning of the third set, I was leading 2-1 and it was the first point of the game, then I realized what I had to do. I lost that game, but I knew I was doing the right thing and convinced myself of what I had to do. It helped me, but you know, I don't think Sandra is like that often, but it was a very clear sign of what I had to do, and I followed it. She did it with good intentions; I don't think she was directly angry with me, but she was very intense at that moment."

Ukrainian sports resurgence amid the war

"I don't think the sports results have been bad because we had the most Olympic representation since Ukraine became independent, that says a lot. We also won some medals. We have excellent high jumpers, obviously Usyk is a legend. I think the tennis players are on a streak, especially the girls. One thing that makes me happy is that all athletes are striving to move forward, to emerge stronger from this situation. Obviously, everyone faces it differently, but now that four years have passed, you can see how resilient they are. Most Ukrainian athletes return to Ukraine to train; they do not have the privilege like me, for example, to travel constantly and be out of danger, so they train there. They live in danger. So being able to compete while living in this situation is, for me, another level. I am very proud of all of them, very happy to represent Ukraine, especially in today's match. I do not think so much about the future, being here is already a true blessing, winning is not the most important thing for me; I am here to represent Ukraine and to enjoy it."

Marta Kostyuk explains how she follows news from Ukraine remotely

"I usually have all news notifications turned off; I only see some notifications, but I turned them off a long time ago. There is nothing I can do about it, just follow what happens. I saw that something started last night, but I never follow the news at night, I mean, it will not change anything for me; I just won't sleep. If I cannot live without news and not following them, then I might as well return to Ukraine and live there, you know? Because I am here, I am safe, I am here to work. Obviously, I try to separate these things, but today, I woke up and saw that it was all over the news. I wrote to my family to ask if they were okay; this is practically all I can do. The most important thing I can do is sit here and talk about it so that more people are aware and do not get used to this terrible life."

Marta Kostyuk lanza un dardo a las tenistas rusas tras avanzar a semifinales de Roland Garros. Fuente: Getty

The lack of reaction from Russian tennis players

"It's no longer frustrating for me; they are all adults, they know what they are talking about and what is happening. They have phones, they have Instagram, they have news. It is clear that they are aware of what is happening, if it is something they want to avoid talking about, they have to live with it, not me. They choose the strategy that works for them, that's all. Obviously, there is not much I can do about it; I wish there was a clearer stance on what is happening, especially when your country is killing other people. I do not know how one can sleep peacefully at night knowing that this is happening and have nothing to say about it."

What problems are currently occurring in Ukraine?

"I do not know the statistics, but right now, I think there are no problems with electricity. Normally, it is a big issue in winter; sometimes my parents were left without power for two or three days, it was terrible considering it was -20 degrees outside. It was a big problem for many people, but now they are better because there are no issues with electricity. As I was checking the news and seeing all the congratulations, I also saw some news on my phone; many people were watching the match. I think it was an important match for Ukraine; I would have liked this match to be the final, but we have what we have. I'm sure there is still internet, even if there is no electricity, so people are prepared after four years. You know, they know they have to charge all the phones, all the computers before the night because you never know how the light will be in the morning. So, yeah, there are many devoted fans with whom I am very happy to share these moments who are following everything."

Marta Kostyuk explains how she started working with Sandra Zaniewska

"My former manager arranged the meeting to see if we could talk and try to work together because she knew both of us and thought it would be a good idea to give it a try. We met and had the trial week in Monaco before going to Washington in 2023. At that time, I did not have a coach, so I stopped working with everyone else. I had no one to work with, and she came into my life. The reason I wanted to continue working with her after the trial week was that during that week of training, I cried every day. She did not say a word, while all the coaches I had worked with before changed their attitude after the second training and did not let me do anything. They told me I had to change, that things wouldn't work that way. They just changed their attitude. I was very surprised at how calm and peaceful she remained when I had that mental storm; she let me be myself. I felt very, very comfortable, I think probably for the first time in my life, with the coach. Like a real person, not just as a tennis player."