Interview – Marta Kostyuk: ‘Roland-Garros, a big step forward for me’

Trust the process

"I think we are just dealing better with bad days, taking the most out of them and embracing the challenge," Kostyuk told rolandgarros.com at the US Open, where she began her title bid with a confident 6-4, 6-1 win over Storm Hunter of Australia on Sunday.

"We are being challenged every day, whether in practice or on the match. I would say that before, I would feel like if there is a challenge, something's wrong, I need to fix something, it shouldn't be there. But it's part of life and sports. I think that (change) made a big difference."

At 24, Kostyuk is still young but is also one of the most experienced players on Tour, having burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old at the Australian Open in 2018 when she qualified for the main draw and reached the third round. Her record in the Grand Slams was not great in the years that followed, but she reached the last 16 in Paris in 2024 and in the past 12 months has added consistency. It has taken time, but things are now coming good.

"I think it's a combination of things," she said. "I've done a lot of therapy and a lot of self-reflection as well. Just working with the team, their observation, where can I be better, and then also growing up, becoming less emotional. It’s just part of the process as well, I guess."

‘I just felt like the time had come’

At Roland-Garros this year, Kostyuk hit form in a big way, blasting winners from everywhere and showing off the athleticism and flexibility she learned as a childhood gymnast. When she wins a title, she performs a backflip. Her electric run to the semi-finals in Paris propelled her inside the world’s top 15.

"It was a great tournament," she said. "I had played so many matches. I was going into these matches really having no idea how this match was going to end and I almost lost in the second round (she beat Katie Volynets in three sets). It was tight, very close. Then I beat Iga (Swiatek), beat Elina (Svitolina), crazy matches. It was a big step forward for me. But I felt like it wasn't really forced or anything. I just felt like the time had come, probably. It was a big breakthrough for me, even more than Madrid."

She lost to the eventual champion Mirra Andreeva on a crazily windy day in the semis but then played just as well at Wimbledon, where she went all the way to the semis again, again losing to the eventual champion, Linda Noskova.

Like her compatriot Elina Svitolina, Kostyuk makes the most of every opportunity to remind the world that Ukraine remains at war and continues to defend itself. "I usually try to talk about the things that generally are concerning for me, whether it's mental health or war or other things that are happening today," she said. "I just feel like it's important part of my life. Then if I can just share it with people and just share what I go through, maybe someone can reflect on that or be compassionate with it."

A wave of confidence

Last year’s run to the fourth round is Kostyuk’s best effort in New York but she arrived here at a career-high ranking of No.11. Playing with a lot of confidence, she is now eyeing a place in the business end of the tournament, with conditions, it seems, also working in her favour.

"I feel like it's much slower this year," she said. "The balls are very, very slow, and I feel like I have more time to do things. Before I would struggle here a lot with players who have a big serve or just hit hard. I don't mind playing here. I feel like I've always played consistently here, it was not bad. For sure, I had better record here than in Paris or London (until this year)."

With 33 wins so far this year, Kostyuk is riding a wave of confidence and is revelling in the support she is receiving. "It's incredible, and I feel like it's just gotten so much more and bigger, especially after my runs in Madrid and Roland-Garros," she said. "It's always been good, but I feel like it's much bigger right now, and it's very cool. I love it."