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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2018

Marta Kostyuk

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

E. SVITOLINA/M. Kostyuk

6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What did you take from that experience today?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, a lot. How much you have to pay Svitolina to have one-hour lesson, so I got it for free.

Q. What was the main part of the lesson that you absorbed?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, she's great player, but what I learn is that you can play against everyone. I had the chances, but because I thought, like, she is incredible, like, she's a god, I cannot do anything against her, that's the problem that I didn't use much.

Q. It seemed to be the serve was the main problem for you today.
MARTA KOSTYUK: Yeah, well, you know, when I played on Margaret Court previous match, I also had problems with serve. But the difference that the court was a bit smaller, so it was still a bit easier, and I don't play every day on such a big court, you know.

I didn't get used to this crowd, you know. That's why probably.

Q. The heat. How did you deal with the heat?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, that was also biggest problem. I was going down with the energy more and more with every match, because it's quite exhausting, you know, everything.

Today, I don't know. Probably get used to a little bit in second set, but it was probably too late, and it was so hot. Like if outside is like 40, you know, 39, and on court, the surface is for sure 70. Like court it's, well, around, I don't know, 45, 47, even more. So it was really hot.

But I was trying to prepare myself as much as I can, but...

Q. Have you heard anything about your junior doubles wildcard?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Yes, I will play doubles, but, well, I still don't know if they gave me wildcard, but I think they did. So I will play doubles, yes.

Q. Are you likely to play Fed Cup after this?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Yes, yes.

Q. Have you played so far?
MARTA KOSTYUK: No.

Q. This will be your first Fed Cup? So playing against Australia?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Yes.

Q. When did they tell you this?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, it was long time ago. I don't remember when, but I think around November. November, beginning of November, something like that.

Q. So it will be nice to be on Elina's side this time in Fed Cup? Same team?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Yes, but she's not going to play.

Q. Oh, she's not?
MARTA KOSTYUK: No.

Q. What's the experience you take with you from your first Grand Slam?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, as I said, the biggest probably that I understand I can play against everyone. It's not, like, super, like, big difference between all the players.

What else? I don't know. I still didn't think about this yet. I just finished match, you know. I was a bit disappointed, but I don't know. Like, I just feel like I can play against everyone and I can fight.

Q. If you had to play this match again, would you do anything differently? Anything that you would do differently?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, I don't know. You know, I'm the person who is not really looking in the past, because I know what happened happen, and I don't know what I would do if I will play match like this again. Because I cannot change it, and I don't really think -- I mean, I know my mistakes, but I don't know if I would change them if I will play again.

Q. Did you play junior Fed Cup? If so, what do you think that experience might translate to the regular Fed Cup?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, I love to play Fed Cup. Doesn't matter juniors, pros, doesn't matter. I love to play for my country. It's one of my favorite tournaments.

Well, it takes a lot of energy from you, but it's still one of the best for me.

Of course I know how to play on the team, and I can clearly say that when I play teams I play until the end. Doesn't matter, fighting until the end.

Q. Did you speak to your mother once you got off the court? What did she say to you?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Yes, yes. She said, Marta, you are good. Nothing bad happened. Because I was so disappointed. Like, I was crying, like, I lost from match points. I don't know.

She told me...

Q. Why were you so disappointed?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, because I know that I could play much better. It was, like, honestly I played really, really bad today. I cannot, like, credits to her, of course. I'm not saying she's bad player. I'm just saying I played bad.

I didn't show even maybe even 10% of what I can.

She knows that when I playing against, like, big players for the first time, I cannot believe that I can beat them. It was for the first time I was playing against top 5 player in the world, so...

Q. You take a big check with you. I think 20 times more than you have earned already. Are you going to treat yourself to a reward for what you have achieved?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, I don't know. I still didn't think about this. I probably will save the money. I don't know. No reason to spend it once you earn them (smiling).

Q. Who else will be in the Fed Cup team with you?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Me, Kichenok sisters, and I still don't know who's gonna come for, who's going to be fourth player. I don't know.

Q. It's been noted that you have special affection for some Serbian players. You have done well with Olga Danilovic in the past. You said Novak was one of your idols. Have you been hanging around Novak here? Are you in touch with Olga?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Yes, of course, she's having birthday in two days, something like this.

Q. Are you going to send her a birthday cake?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Not yet. I still have to. Well, we are good friends, so, yeah. Besides, I like Serbian people.

Q. Have you seen Novak around here? In touch?
MARTA KOSTYUK: No, I didn't see her since US Open.

Q. Novak Djokovic.
MARTA KOSTYUK: Novak? Yeah, I saw him. Like, I met him once when I was practicing I take a picture with him. And that's actually it.

Q. You obviously are disappointed. You had a cry. You come here, and you seem incredibly mature. What you said about, you know, leaving things in the past and being able to see the bigger picture. Where has that come from for you, that maturity?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, I don't know. I think my mom, she was always giving me life situations when I had to figure it out by myself. Probably that's one of the reasons.

Well, I don't know. I had quite adult life since I was small, so probably also this. But I didn't think about this that much, because I also can be a kid, you know, at the same time (smiling).

It's not like I'm always like this, serious. I'm still 15.

Q. When you're tired with tennis, what are the other things you like to do?
MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, it depends on the day. I like to spend time with my friends, but it happens really, really rarely, so I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I didn't think about this, actually. I like different things. I don't want to say all of them, because I don't do them every day when I'm out of tennis.

Q. You have a couple of weeks before the Fed Cup. Do you have plans? Sightseeing? Staying here and practicing?
MARTA KOSTYUK: I would try, because I would like to go a little bit out of the tennis now, a little bit. I will have rest two days. So, yeah. I will try to go somewhere. Maybe on the beach. Maybe somewhere else. Then I'm going to travel to Tasmania, come back, then Canberra. Yeah, I will see a little bit of Australia, I hope.

Q. Can you tell us a bit more about the conversation with your mom. What advice was she giving you? How did that make you feel?
MARTA KOSTYUK: She said, like, that you will play like this. Because she knows me very well and she knows how I will play in this situation. She said it was fine. Everyone knows that you can play better, and you showed everyone how you can play. Nothing, like, nothing bad had happened.

So, like, but I was, like -- I was -- well, I don't know. I don't want to talk about this, because I will start to cry again. I want to -- yeah. So she said that everything is okay, like, everyone said that, but...

Q. What was the best part about all of this, being part of a Grand Slam?
MARTA KOSTYUK: I don't know. Different emotions, you know. You know, that when you play tournament, this probably social media, this attention, this big wins, you know, big courts.

Well, a lot of players know me now. They tell me, like, Great job. You're really inspiration. Like these things are also great.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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