ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2026

Marta Kostyuk

Press Conference

M. ANDREEVA/M. Kostyuk

6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Marta, bad luck today, but you have had a great Roland Garros, and you're achieved your best result here so far. What are the things you're taking with you from this year?

MARTA KOSTYUK: For sure, my streak. I take it with me to the grave (laughter).

Yeah, very happy with my clay court season, just one loss. I mean, I would never believe if someone told me this couple months ago. Yeah, very happy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Obviously this match meant a lot to you, because you want to give so much to the people back in Ukraine. Did you maybe put yourself under too much pressure before the game? Because you didn't look quite at your best today. Were you struggling a bit with the pressure?

MARTA KOSTYUK: For me, usually when I go on court, I don't feel nervous, I don't feel pressure, really. Maybe before the match, obviously everyone feels a bit more nervous.

I would say, as I said before, I don't care who is at the other side of the net. I just go out and play the match. You know, everything that could go her way, went her way. Everything that could not go my way, didn't go my way. So, you know, it's just the type of day.

I take it. You know, I had enough tough days, bad days, to know that they end. It's not the worst thing in the world to lose a match wherever the stage is.

First time playing semifinals, you know, obviously had that experience, so next time when I'm in semifinals, maybe I'm going to feel better, different. I don't know.

But obviously not the greatest match from me today. But I don't think about it that much.

Q. You played Mirra a few times. You had won all the sets. Did her level surprise you at all? Did she play significantly better than she had in the other matches you played?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I think that this court suits her best of all the tournaments that exist, and I never played her here. So obviously seeing her record since she's been 15 or 16 years old, you know, playing here, I saw at the screen that her record here is 16-3. I came into this tournament being like 4-7, you know. So clearly not my best court.

You know, it really suits her game. The wind helped a lot today. I didn't start the best, but, you know, it happens. I mean, everyone wins; everyone loses. It's part of the game. It's, at the end of the day, it's just a game.

Yeah, she played good today. She played solid. She wasn't missing. You know, I was missing more. Obviously felt pressure. She was serving much better today. I couldn't do a lot, because the court is crazy slow, and she was retrieving all the balls. So I felt like I had to go for more.

Obviously, that was what was making me make more mistakes. That's it.

Q. Great tournament and clay court season. I just wonder how you would feel on Saturday as a Ukrainian if it is an all-Russian final?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I don't care (smiling). I mean, I don't care.

Q. I wanted to come full circle. I asked you before the tournament if you thought the tour had forgotten about the war in Ukraine, and you quite movingly said you got used to the idea that people have forgotten. Do you think, given how well you and a lot of the other Ukrainian players have done in this tournament, it's helped people to remember, to re-remember?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Yeah, for sure. I mean, I will never forget the ovations I received after my match in quarterfinals. This is something I will carry with me forever. I will never believe anyone who is at the world stage of this sport saying they have zero influence or anything, because I experienced this myself.

Yeah, if you want to, you can do anything, and this was a proof for me. I mean, I obviously am very happy I made it to the semifinals, but I feel like this is the highlight of my tournament.

Q. You are now a WTA 1000 winner, Grand Slam semifinalist, you'll be No. 12 in the world on Monday. Do you think you belong there now?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, if I'm there, probably I belong. I don't know.

I think in tennis, it's one thing to get somewhere; the other thing is to stay there. My goal is to, you know, to be a consistent player and to not get injured, because it's also very difficult to stay healthy and, you know, just keep growing, keep becoming better player, better person. That's it.

If my ranking is going to be better, it means I deserve it. I made it there. I don't know. Again, it's one thing to make it to somewhere; the other thing is to really stay there for a long time.

Q. You mentioned your streak. I wonder if it changes something about your own perception of yourself, going on such a streak, winning so much in so many different levels, so many different kinds of players, including Iga here. Is it something that changes the way you see yourself as a player?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I think so. I mean, I would want to believe it, because it's a big success for me. I think not just for me, but if you take any player, it's a great result.

For sure, I think what I'm most happy with is that I first changed, and then this streak came. Not that the streak came and then I changed. I already enjoyed playing, and I enjoyed being at tournaments before the streak began.

And now, not having the streak anymore, you know, I'm the same. I still enjoy being here, going next week to Queen's, going to Wimbledon, you know, and just keep trying to, you know, play tennis and bring on the show, and that's it.

Q. Well played. Great tournament. What was the key to finding enjoyment in your tennis and in just being on tour and being a pro tennis player?

MARTA KOSTYUK: A lot of therapy (smiling). Yeah, I mean, I think when the full-scale war started, I realized I needed to change my perspective on life, because it's clearly not just tennis. There is a lot of other things that's happening.

Then this long process began, and it's been over four years now. I feel like the most important thing for me was that I had an intention of what kind of career I want to have, what kind of player and person I want to be, and I slowly moved towards that direction that I set myself.

I'm arriving there, where I want to be and how I want to be. You know, I told Sandra before the tournament, I said, Honestly, the battles that I have won against myself and in my head, you know, Grand Slams is nothing comparing to it. Nothing.

I think to myself, you know, I went through such an incredible journey of becoming a different player, different person. Really, playing tennis is very easy. It's really easy.

I think it's just great to feel this way and to keep living this life, you know. I don't know how long for I'm going to be still here and playing tennis. So I try to enjoy it to the fullest.

Q. I was wondering, do you and Sandra have discussions about what to do if you come on the court and you're not feeling the ball, you're not having your best day like you were having today? Is there, like, a Plan B, and what are some those things you try if it's not one of those really great days?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Good question. I think we have, like, five plans always. But sometimes, I mean, I can have really bad day, and my opponent can have a very good day. So even if you have ten plans, it's not going to work.

But, yeah, for sure, we always have different plans, and I also prepare mentally always. If things don't go my way, I'm pretty okay when things don't go my way. I just try to find a way, and that's it and try to do my best.

Q. You said the invasion of Ukraine changed your perspective. Do you remember what you were like before that? Were you too wrapped up in tennis?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I thought about it, because I don't really remember a lot of things, but I remember I was very intense. I was a control freak. And, yeah, I was very traumatized.

I mean, I'm not gonna, like, hide it or whatever. I don't think you can make it big in tennis if you're not a little bit crazy (smiling). So, I mean, I was like this, but then I just didn't like it. I didn't like to be with myself, so clearly there were things that -- you know, I was not a happy person.

Yeah, again, I think the control was the worst of it all, and it's very common thing for people. It's not like I'm some different, you know, from everyone.

What else? Yeah, I don't know. I think this is the biggest things that I can remember.

Q. When they closed the roof today, did you feel at some point that you could turn the match around? That's the only moment in the match where Mirra got a little bit tense. She double-faulted, and then you won the game, and you came back to 4-3.

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, I felt throughout the whole match that I'm not that far to turn the match around. We had a lot of close games. It was not, like, just going one way very quickly. I tried to put a fight every time, every game, every point.

Yeah, I went back into the game, but the serve was not great for me today. I think I was rushing a lot, and just, like, a bit more chaotic.

I didn't think about it. I just tried to go point by point. I wasn't really focusing on the score too much. Then, yeah, I mean, she was returning well, controlling the court today.

So, you know, she played good throughout the whole match. So it was really difficult to think about, like, if it's my chance or not. Like, I tried to come back and keep going. The crowd was amazing today, of course, supporting me.

But, yeah, it just didn't work.