‘Wanted to Hit in the Head’ – Ukrainian Star Marta Kostyuk Makes a ‘Sick’ Confession About Russian Counterpart

The war between Russia and Ukraine has turned tennis into a battlefield. There are a lot of differences between the tennis players from both countries, which is quite evident on and off the tennis court. Recently, 21-year-old Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk opened up about her thoughts when she played a doubles match against Russian opponents.

While Ukrainian tennis players openly discuss the situation in their country, the finalist of the San Diego Open expressed her emotions regarding facing defeat against Russian opponents, all while being candid about her disagreements with Russian athletes.

Marta Kostyuk ‘couldn’t breathe’ at the thought of facing Russian opponents

After the war-like situation, there was a debacle between Russian and Ukrainian tennis players not shaking hands with each other. Recently, the 21-year-old Ukrainian tennis player opened up about her first encounter with Russian players when the whole situation started and explained how facing a defeat against them in Rome, in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, was one of the toughest moments of her life.

Back in 2022, Marta Kostyuk with her partner Gabriela Ruse, went up against Veronika Kudermetova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. However, even after giving their best, the Ukrainians were not able to achieve victory in the match. Recently, in a conversation with Sport Express, the 32-ranked tennis player got real about her thoughts on how she felt during that match, even after the defeat.

She stated, “I was so sick of that match! I just wanted to hit them in the head with a ball. Everything else did not interest me. They played well and ended up winning that tournament. I was so sick that I called the physio to the court and said I couldn’t play or breathe. I was simply brought in. I did not shake their hands.”

READ MORE – WTA Beauty Marta Kostyuk Drops Strange Reaction After Defeating Home-Favorite Jessica Pegula in San Diego

However, last year, when the 21-year-old went against Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open, she didn’t shake hands but, at the same time, shared the reason why she preferred to maintain a distance.

Why Kostyuk maintains a distance from Russian/Belarusian players

Last year during a press conference, Aryna Sabalenka stated that she understood the Ukrainian tennis player’s decision to not shake hands, as the war was something that they did not control. The Ukrainian replied, “I feel like you should ask these players who would they want to win the war because if you ask this question, I’m not so sure these people will say that they want Ukraine.”

She underlined that Sabalenka should not represent other players from Belarus and Russia; instead, she should just speak for herself, as she knows a lot of tennis players who have taken their sides openly.

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on Kostyuk’s revelation about going against the Russian tennis players? Do let us know in the comment section below.