ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2026

Marta Kostyuk

Press Conference

M. KOSTYUK/I. Swiatek

7-5, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Marta, into your first Roland Garros quarterfinals, but also on a 16-match win streak on clay. Just talk us through both of those achievements and just how you're feeling today.

MARTA KOSTYUK: Yeah, for sure it feels great. Very happy with the streak. Very happy with the quarterfinal. Going to celebrate a little bit today and keep my head in the tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You have spoken about having some bad results here and maybe a bit of a love/hate relationship with Roland Garros. What's changed this year? What's clicked in Paris?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I don't know. I think a lot of things clicked this year on clay too, and in Madrid, which was also not my best tournament.

Yeah, it's a good feeling. I think I just give myself more space. I'm enjoying more, just creating points, dealing with challenges, learning how to navigate the difficult situations in the matches.

I have been doing it well, so happy with that.

Q. I know ahead of the Iga match after your last win, you were talking about how you felt you were definitely a heavy underdog with Iga, you had a good chance, and you backed yourself, but very much in the underdog role. How important was that for you today mentally, and do you fear it's going to get harder now, given how well you're playing, given who you're beating, to maintain that position as underdog?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, I'm not planning to maintain that position, but I feel like in the match that we had, I think it was a great matchup, but at the end of the day, I still think I was the underdog in this match.

Things change in tennis, but I'm much more consistent. I'm the most consistent I have ever been in my career and a long way to go to be top-10, top-5 player. I don't know. I'm still further than these girls in the rankings.

Technically, I'm still underdog. We will see. Maybe a lot of things will change after this tournament or not. I'm not going to be considered underdog anymore, but I don't mind to be in both positions. I take it as it is.

Q. You were really strong on the return in terms of breaking her serve, I think, when you were broken and immediate next game you broke it back. In those three games specifically, what was going through your head? Generally, why do you think you were effective on her serve?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, I think I was putting a lot of pressure on her second serve, especially. She wasn't hurting me much with the first serve today. I was just returning everything, and it's not easy to play against someone who returns all of your serves and puts a lot of pressure on you in the second serve.

I don't think I was serving the right way, some of the games, but then I found a way in the end of the first set and in the second set.

Yeah, this was the key, but, I mean, I don't know. I think I have good return, and I don't mind stepping in on the kick serves, which is a problem for a lot of girls. And for guys, as well. Guys, it's a different story entirely.

I think, you know, as the match was progressing, she was feeling it more and more, so her serve was becoming either more desperate in the sense that she would serve harder or make more double faults or actually serve slower, so I had more time to step in.

Q. When you're on a streak like this, how superstitious are you? Do you start doing the same things all the time? Do you make sure that you're keeping a routine to make sure that the streak never breaks?

MARTA KOSTYUK: No (smiling). I think if I was superstitious, I wouldn't last so long, because you just go crazy. Every day is different. Every day your mood is different. You want to do different things.

So I am very not superstitious person, for sure.

Q. You spoke earlier about being less emotional on the court and separating your emotions from the tennis. Is there anything you're doing on the court during a match that keeps you from getting too emotional about one bad shot or one lost point or one bad break and gets you moving on? Is there any kind of breathing pattern or mantra you tell yourself that helps you focus on what's coming next?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I think it's changing, because you cannot stick to the same thing, like, you kind of overgrow some things that you do and then you have to change your strategy how you deal with yourself, and you also change and evolve.

I would say right now the biggest thing that I do is that nothing is that big, like not one point is that important. You know, there is another one always coming. So I always try to keep that in mind and always try to think about longer perspective on what kind of player do I want to be and where I want to be.

So, for me, this is the most important thing when I play. So at the end, you can do the right things, but, you know, miss the balls or, yeah, lose the match, but you still did the right things, and this is the priority for me.

Q. You said on court that you were really happy to just have this opportunity to play on Chatrier today, and you were kind of enjoying how beautiful that was. I wonder if during this streak, while obviously your heart is super happy with everything going on at home, it almost lends you a perspective of appreciating your tennis more and how kind of you maybe hold those two things.

MARTA KOSTYUK: Yeah, for sure it's a different perspective, because, for example, before my first-round match, I told Sandra, you know, I don't even know, what am I doing here? Like, this is not important at all.

So it was difficult for me -- I didn't know how the match is going to go because I didn't know if I'd just be able to keep the focus on important things, which was winning the match, and, like, playing tennis. And yeah, sometimes it gives you different perspective, whether it's that it's not important at all that I'm here, or, you know, something else that, like, it's great that I'm here, I have this opportunity and I'm really thankful for that.

It depends on the day what you think, but for sure, it gave me more space and understanding that there are much bigger things in life than tennis. And I try to keep that in mind always.

Q. You have spoken about how your mom has been a big figure in your tennis journey, and in 2023, at the end of the year, you hired Sandra as your coach. What kind of a conversation did you have with your mother? Was that easy at that point? If you can talk a little about that.

MARTA KOSTYUK: That's very good question. So I officially stopped working with my mom at the end of 2022, and I remember I had the practice, and yeah, I just felt that this is it. It's just bad for both of us.

It was very difficult. It's something that you have to step away from. It's your closest person. You basically, most of your identity is built on that person's perception of you and your tennis.

At that time, it was very, very difficult. You kind of step into unknown, because you step away from, you know, something that you have been doing with this person for 15 years.

Yeah, there were difficult times for me just on court, as well, because I kind of always thought, oh, what my mom is gonna think how I played the shot, and it's not how she would want me to play, and stuff like this.

Then I think it was a gradual separation, especially in my head. It didn't happen overnight or whatever, it's just things that -- you know, a lot of things were lingering with me, I would say, up until 2024, I would say.

Yeah, so it took a lot of time and just a lot of work, as well. It didn't go away by itself. Also, it took me a lot of time to kind of take all this time that I had with her and appreciate it and be thankful for it and just, you know, have really good memories about it. That's also not an easy thing to do.

So yeah, right now, I mean, right now we are great. We are great for a long time already. We're actually so good that I came back to Ukraine and practiced with my mom for a few days. It was not easy. I can tell you it was not, like, something new. I felt like I had flashbacks, you know, from my old life (smiling).

Yeah, I have the best memories, for sure, from that time.

Q. You're a player obviously that's been shaped by women in your life, whether it's your mom, now obviously having Sandra as your coach. With Sandra, in particular, I know how philosophical she can be about life, about tennis, and trying to keep you on an even keel, but recently has there been anything she's said to you that really stuck with you in terms of helping you keep and maintain?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I don't know. She was telling me a lot of good things throughout these three years that we worked together. I don't think I can point something out, like, in the past couple of weeks or months, really.

I don't know. I think we've both evolved a lot since that time that we started working. Yeah, she honestly told me a lot of great things. I don't think there is one I can point out, really. I have to really sit and put the ranking, you know, of the good things.

I don't know. Hmm. Good question.

I just feel like these past weeks I had this, you know, feeling of she's gonna back me no matter what, and I know that she's there for me and she only wishes the best for me. I think this is the best feeling you can have as a player and just makes you feel the calmest on the court.

Q. A few years ago it would have been unthinkable to spend so much time on Iga's forehand. Curious if you guys feel like you've, not figured it out, but found some patterns that kind of neutralize it? Because you have played her before. Has this shot changed from her?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, I think the matches we played before were very different in terms of, you know, her dominance on the court, and I felt like I had more time today, for sure.

I still think she has a really good forehand. It's very heavy and very difficult to play. I don't know. It's a good question.

I think I played very good tactically today, and that's what matters the most.

Q. Elina is up 4-0 in the third set, so maybe you could give us a little outlook if you play her in the quarterfinals? What is your relationship right now? What's the outlook?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, I think we have really good relationship. She's a legend of Ukrainian tennis, and, you know, such an honor to share the court with her on Tuesday, if she wins. They still didn't finish.

Yeah, I mean, she's paved the way for a lot of Ukrainian girls and boys, and she's doing great. And especially this year, she's doing unbelievable.

So excited for this match. I have played with her two years ago, and, you know, I know a little bit what to expect, of course. It's going to be a good match, I think.