French Open: Regret Grips Marta Kostyuk as Ditching Ukraine for Monaco Turns Out to Be a Costly Move

Marta Kostyuk is enjoying one of her best seasons on the WTA Tour this year. But, hidden behind the smiles of the Ukrainian player is a story of struggle and relentless hard work. Shedding light on the challenges, Kostyuk’s candid remarks about the shifting of the limelight in her career displayed a lesser-known side of her journey.

Marta Kostyuk sat down for an interview with the WTA Insider Podcast with the host, Courtney Nguyen after her first-round victory in the French Open. The podcast (released on May 27), delves into Kostyuk’s journey in tennis and her current form in the season. But, during the first segment, the conversation addressed an important and lesser-addressed point. 

It happened Nguyen asked about her feelings about how Kostyuk “hasn’t had” the same limelight as her colleagues even after her exceptional performance in the Australian Open this season. In response, the former world No. 20’s answer added a new layer of angle to the whole story. “If I was living in Ukraine, I think I would get a lot of attention and like, a lot of press. And everyone would want to see me on TV, and you know, come here and talk there and well. And I would feel like you know, something changed in my life.”  

Marta Kostyuk, who once revealed how winning a grand slam is her goal, further revealed, “But I live in Monaco. And I’m sorry, but it’s really, you play quarters in the slam, nobody cares for one second. Maybe if you win a slam, maybe you’re somewhat now a valuable person, whatever.”

Marta Kostyuk who has reached the semifinals in Indian Wells and then the finals in Stuttgart and San Diego Open this year had an amazing run in the Australian Open as well. Although she faced a defeat against Coco Gauff in the quarterfinal, she admitted, “This whole tournament I think is a big win for me.

However, even then, Kostyuk who will soon play in the second round of the French Open, has garnered attention in the tennis world for not all the right reasons. According to her, one of them is because she is not playing in her country, Ukraine. However, while playing at the Australian Open, Marta Kostyuk was vocal about her take on the matter.

Her goal was clear: supporting, representing, and uniting the people of her country through her performance on-court. “Sport has always brought a lot of joy and happiness for people,” Marta Kostyuk said after the match. However, on the other hand, when she faced defeat, Kostyuk confessed the lessons that she was taking home after the match.

Marta Kostyuk describes how her Australian Open defeat was actually a win for her in disguise

The world No. 37 fell short against Gauff with a score of 7-6(6) 6-7(3) 6-2 after fighting for three hours in the Australian Open quarterfinal. Yet, the right-handed player stated that it was a win for her for one reason. “It’s a win because I was playing one of the best girls in the world, and managed to be still very close.” 

Although, before coming into the season, she struggled with leg injuries, her talent on-court overpowered her physical limitations. Naturally, her takeaway from the match was, “There is really no limit in human possibilities.” 

Marta Kostyuk’s journey isn’t just about trophies and rankings. It’s a testament to her resilience and unwavering determination on-court. Whether she receives the limelight or not, her pursuit of excellence on-court is far from over.