ROLAND GARROS

June 2, 2026

Marta Kostyuk

Press Conference

M. KOSTYUK/E. Svitolina.

6-3, 2-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Marta, congratulations. The streak continues, 17 wins in a row, and your very first Grand Slam semifinal. Just what do those milestones mean to you?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Yeah, for sure it's a great feeling. Obviously, I don't think about the streak, as I say every day. Didn't change. I'm very happy to be in the semifinals and excited for the next match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You said on the court that in the third or second set you looked at Sandra, and she was really pissed at you. How much growth do you think it shows that you were able to take that in and charge forward, because maybe a months ago or few years ago you would have maybe had a completely different reaction?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, you know, I don't think she was really pissed, but she was really intense, and she showed me what I had to do, which was I had to hit the ball that I didn't hit. I kind of tried to lift it, and I missed it.

It was in the beginning of the third set. I was 2-1 up, and it was the first point of the game. Then I realized what I need to do. I lost that game, but I knew that I'm doing the right thing, and then I was just very convinced of what I need to do.

It helped, but you know, I don't think Sandra is often like this, but it was a very clear sign on what I had to do, and I listened to it. You know, she had it with good intention. I don't think she was directly pissed at me, but she was just, like, intense in the moment, you know?

Q. Marta, since the illegal invasion of your country started four years ago, there's not been a lot of sporting success for Ukraine, Oleksandr Usyk aside. If you are able to win this weekend, what do you think this will mean for your country, your countrymen and women? What do you think it will do for them if you can go all the way?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, first of all, I don't think that the sports results were not good, because we had the most representation in Olympics since Ukraine became independent. That says a lot.

Also, we had some medals. We have really great high jumpers right now. Obviously Usyk is a legend. I think tennis players are on fire right now, especially girls.

Yeah, one thing I'm very happy about is that all the athletes are kind of trying to push through and, you know, get out better on the other side in this situation. Obviously everyone deals with it differently, but now that it's been four years, you can see how resilient they are.

The majority of Ukrainian athletes are coming back to Ukraine to practice. They don't have this privilege, like me, for example, or other tennis players to travel all the time and be outside of the danger, so they are practicing in it. They live in it.

So to be able to compete living in this situation is, for me, another level. I'm very proud of all of them and, you know, very happy to represent Ukraine, especially with today's match.

I don't think so far ahead. For me, you know, with everything that's happening, for me being here is real blessing, and I don't think about winning. It's not the most important thing for me. I'm here to represent Ukraine and to enjoy.

Q. You mentioned the heavy night of bombing last night. Were you awake and aware of that while it was going on, or had you gone to sleep? Did you wake up to the bad news?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, usually all of my news are turned off. Like, I just see some notifications obviously, but I turned the notifications off a long time ago. There is nothing I can do about it, but just follow what's going on.

I saw it started last night already in the evening, but I never follow news during the night. I mean, I will change absolutely nothing, and I will just not get any sleep.

If I cannot live without news and not follow them, then I might as well go back to Ukraine and live there, you know, because I'm here, I'm safe, I'm here to do my job. I obviously try to separate these things.

Of course, when I woke up today, I saw it was all over the news. I texted my family if they were okay. This is pretty much all I can do.

The biggest thing I can do is sit here and talk about it so more people can find out about it so they don't get used to this terrible life.

Q. Next up for you is a Russian opponent. Is it something that you want or manage to set aside when you are on court, or you just can't get around the fact that you are playing someone who's Russian and it makes it different?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, I don't think if I didn't separate it, I would be able to beat Mirra two times that I played her this year. For sure I got much better at it right now.

I usually never care who is on the other side of the net. I'm there to play tennis and do my job, and that's it. It's not going to change for me on Thursday.

Q. Just a follow on that. So Shnaider after she beat Oliynykova said: I'm not playing an opponent. I'm playing against the ball, because the ball is the same. Andreeva talking about playing a Ukrainian player: I really try against the ball that's coming at me. It doesn't matter who I'm playing against. It is frustrating to hear this? It sounds like they're trying to avoid talking about the situation. Is it frustrating?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, for me it's not frustrating anymore. They are all grown-ups. They know what they're talking about. They know what's going on. They have phones. They have Instagram. They have news. They are clearly aware of what's going on.

If this is something that they want to avoid talking about, they have to live with this, not me. I mean, what can I say? They pick a strategy for themselves that works for them. That's it.

Obviously not much I can do about it. I wish there was some more clear stance on what's going on, especially when your country is killing other people. I don't know how you can sleep at night peacefully when you know that this is going on, and you have nothing to say about it.

Yeah, not much more I can say.

Q. It's the second match already that comes after an evening with strikes. Obviously the first one in the first round. During the match, is it something that you sometimes think about, like it comes to your head, visions of what happened at night, thoughts about it, or are you able to completely detach for it for the duration of the match?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, it depends on the night. It depends how safe my family is. It depends if something triggered me, if I read some news that were very heartbreaking for me, so that's why I try to avoid them. I mean, after the match, like, I read everything, but before the matches, I try not to do it.

Before first round it was really difficult. I didn't know if I'll be able to, like, not think about it at all.

Today was fine, because as I said, my friends and my family, everyone who we texted said they were fine. So at that point, it's all that mattered to me. You know, I went on court and just played tennis.

Q. You looked like you were controlling kind of right away there. What were you proudest with today in your game?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, for sure that I managed to find my game in the third set and basically just take it. You know, at this stages you cannot just get by. You have to win the match. Nobody is going to give it to you. For sure this is something that I'm most proud of.

Q. I'd like to know, of course, in this period with the war and everything which is going on, tennis cannot be the most important thing in your brain, but I don't know how is the situation about electricity, about TV. They can watch TV, and there are enough TV open or available, or maybe only in one city or two cities and not everywhere else? In a way do you -- I don't say regret. It is sorry for you that a match between you and Svitolina would have been huge in your country if there wasn't going on this war and, of course, again, the war is much more important than a tennis match. But it's something that it's a pity, huh? It could have been fantastic and cannot be fantastic. What is your reaction to that? I have no idea how many millions are able to watch TV in Ukraine? Do you know it? Do you know anything about?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Thank you. Well, for sure I don't know the statistics, but right now I think there is no problems with electricity. Usually it's a big problem in the winter.

Sometimes, yeah, my parents didn't have electricity for, like, two, three days. Other people as well. It was terrible given the fact that it was minus-20 degrees outside. It was a big problem for a lot of people. Right now it's better because there is no problems with electricity.

As I checked the news and everyone who was congratulating me, and I saw some news on, yeah, my phone, there were a lot of people watching. I think it was important match for Ukraine. Obviously I wish this match was in the final, but we have what we have.

I'm sure there is still internet, even if there is no electricity. So people are prepared after four years. You know, they know that they have to charge all the phones, all the computers before the night because you don't know how it's going to be in the morning.

So, yeah, I mean, there is a lot of dedicated fans that I'm very happy to share these moments with, and they are watching no matter what.

Q. How big of an impact has Sandra Zaniewska on your recent successes and your shape? How would you describe her role?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I think it's huge. You know, we are not working for one season or even two seasons. We are working much longer already. We have much more success right now obviously, and I think she deserves it all because she really gave her soul for this work with me. She changed me so much as a person.

I think we both changed, we've both grown together in this working relationship. Yeah, for sure, you know, I definitely wouldn't be here without her.

Q. I have another question on Sandra. Can you remind us when you started with her and why you choosed her?

MARTA KOSTYUK: So my previous manager set the meeting between us to see if we can talk and try to work together, because she knew both of us, and she thought that it would be a good idea for us to try.

We've met, and we had the trial week in Monaco before going to Washington in 2023. I didn't have the coach at that time, so I stopped working with all the coaches. So I kind of had no one to work with, and she appeared in my life.

Then the reason why I wanted to keep working with her after the trial week was because that practice week, I was crying on the practice every single day. She didn't say one word about it, when all the coaches that I worked with before would flip after second practice, and they wouldn't let me do anything. They would tell me that I have to change, that this is not how it's going to work. They would really just flip.

I was very surprised with how composed and calm she was when I had this storm happening, you know, in my head. She let me be who I am. I was feeling very, very comfortable, I think, probably for the first time in my life that I felt comfortable with the coach. Like, truly as a human, you know? Not as a tennis player.

So this is the reason I think why we kept working. But also, when we had the most crazy trip of our lives, which was the first trip together, I won I think only two matches in two months or three matches in two months.

Yeah, I was, like, No, we're going to keep going, I know it's going to work out, because we are great together, and it's going to work. So here we are (smiling).

Q. Congratulations on speaking so powerfully about this terrible war. Can you understand at all why some of the Russian players may be reluctant to say what they really feel in public, because they're worried about the repercussions back in their homeland?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Yeah, listen, I know some people who have left Russia the moment the war began, who have sold all their business, who have left everything behind because they just don't agree with what their country is doing to other people. This is their way of protesting it, so they basically just leave and either start their new life somewhere else or publicly condemn it.

There is a lot of public figures in Russia who have done it, and obviously they have no way to come back at this point. Maybe in the future, I don't know. So there is a way to, you know, if you don't agree, to kind of not live there. It's just you don't agree with it, and that's it.

You know, in this setting we travel the whole year. If you think about it, if you really don't agree with it, there is a lot of ways to avoid it. I mean, we have to avoid living in Russia. We have greatest example of Daria Kasatkina.

I know when she spoke about it publicly, like, people were coming to her parents, to her parents' apartment, and scaring them and stuff like this. It didn't stop her from changing nationality, to moving out. I don't think she lives in Russia anyways, but like majority of players don't live in Russia.

You know, there is nothing that's stopping you if this is something you don't believe in. Clearly, they are not thinking like this, you know? After four years, I think they've made it very clear whose side they are on.

Again, this is their burden to carry, and this is what they live with, not me.