Kostyuk leaves Wimbledon with a smile: "Today I feel like I have won"

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Marta Kostyuk couldn't become the first Ukrainian finalist at Wimbledon after falling to Linda Noskova in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. The Ukrainian number one ended a brilliant journey at the All England Club, reaching the semifinals for the first time and confirming the great moment she is going through on the tour, also marking her second consecutive presence among the final four of a Grand Slam.

Far from being disheartened by the defeat, Kostyuk appeared at the press conference with a very positive attitude. The Ukrainian praised Noskova's extraordinary level, especially with her serve, acknowledged that she barely found opportunities to change the course of the match, and explained that she leaves satisfied with the growth shown during these two weeks. She also stated that these consecutive semifinals do not change her approach to competition, as she is already thinking about continuing to evolve for the North American tour.

Marta Kostyuk, proud of her Wimbledon tournament

"I'm leaving this tournament with nothing but positive things. As I said after the third round, I feel very fortunate to be here. Nothing has changed today; I'm happy with the tournament. If someone had told me two weeks ago that I would be here, I would have signed up without hesitation, so everything is fine.

I can't compare this defeat to the one in Paris. Before the match, I said that today I did feel like I played a real match. That wasn't the case at Roland Garros. All credit to Linda; she played incredible tennis, her serve was insane. Sandra told me that the quality of her serve was a 9.5 out of 10, it couldn't have been better. I know I'm a good returner, but today there was very little I could do; I hardly had any chances. It's a shame that it happened in a semifinal, but I know I did everything I could. Now I turn the page and I'm eager to start the American tour."

Noskova's level, the deciding factor

"Everything is related; her serve was so good that it practically prevented me from getting into the match. Yes, I managed to break her once, but overall, I was hardly close to having break opportunities. It was very difficult. I don't think I served poorly either; she returned my second serve very well, and besides, her first-serve percentage was extremely high. She won around 90% of those points, something incredible, especially against a player like me, who usually returns very well. It was tough, but I did everything I could.

I was under pressure throughout the match. Since she started serving in both sets, I was always behind on the scoreboard, and that's never easy. In the games at 4-5, I didn't serve particularly well, and I think it was a combination of several factors. The truth is, I wasn't tired, nor did I suffer from the heat; the only thing that really bothered me today was the number of lines her serve hit."

According to Kostyuk, a defeat that strengthens her confidence

"Right now, what makes me happiest is the freedom I gave myself to try different things on the court and just play tennis. Grass has never been my best surface and probably still isn't. I'm also very pleased with how I deal with defeats. It's one thing to talk about it and another to live it; right now, as I'm sitting here, I really feel that today I won, and that's all that matters."

Perhaps a bit of luck would do me good; I didn't have much in either of these two semis. Joking aside, many things have to align to win a Grand Slam. There are always aspects to improve: the return, the serve, the concentration, decision-making... Everything can keep growing. I only played my first semifinal a month ago and now the second, so it's still early to find patterns. I hope to have many more opportunities; for now, I'm grateful for having reached these two consecutive semifinals and for everything my team and I have accomplished."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Kostyuk se va de Wimbledon con una sonrisa: "Hoy siento que he ganado"