THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 8, 2026

Marta Kostyuk

Press Conference

M. KOSTYUK/J. Paolini

6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Marta, can you share some of your thoughts about the match today.

MARTA KOSTYUK: Yeah, for sure it was a very good match. Happy with the performance. I think I did well tactically. Yeah, it's never easy to go out for the first time on Centre Court. I didn't know how I'm going to handle this and how I'm going to perform. So happy with everything.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Second consecutive semi for you. First at Roland Garros, now at Wimbledon. Any preference of one over the other?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I think my record on clay is still better than on grass, so... I think it was more expected to happen on clay for myself.

I don't know. I feel like grass season is generally so short that it's always difficult to predict how it's going to go and how you're going to adapt it.

I don't know. I think I'm going to go with clay still, but we will see. If I win tomorrow, I'm going to say something different (smiling).

Q. Can you explain if something changed about the mental part of the game, about the physical or tactical part of the game? What is, in your opinion, the main reason behind this incredible streak?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I think I worked on a lot of things for a long period of time. I cannot point out something that was like one thing. I feel like tennis is very complex sport, so you cannot, like, separate something that you change and that's it. So I don't know.

I feel like just being more consistent from day to day is definitely bringing the results. Just overall consistency in how I feel and how I am.

Q. I spoke to your coach Sandra earlier this week. I wondered how much consistency of having the same coach for a while has really helped.

MARTA KOSTYUK: It definitely helped me. I feel like I had this, not experience, but the way I was perceiving it was always when I would go on like losing streak or just feeling not good on the court, I felt like my default was I need to change everything. I need to change the coach, I need to change the whole team, nothing's working, everything is very emotional. It's been like that for quite a while.

Then working with Sandra kind of healed it. I was sharing with her sometimes that when things were not going well, I was never doubting working with her, but I was just kind of going back into this thinking of, like, What if everything I'm doing is wrong? It's been a long time ago, but it was still there. Then with time it kind of softened, got better.

I feel like always looking at bigger picture for both of us worked well. For sure, it's helping. We are always thinking who else can we bring into the team, if there is a person like this.

We tried to bring someone into the team before the clay court started, but this person didn't agree. Not that -- yeah, just didn't want. I don't know. I don't know (smiling). Just said no.

We were like, okay, I feel like there is not a lot of people that I would be willing to add 'cause I feel like Sandra is such good coach, I don't find a lot of better coaches than her. It had to be someone really good. That's it.

We are open to keep getting better and having more opportunities with different people. But for now it's just two of us, and I'm very happy.

Q. You've had great results on clay and grass. Do you think you're a better player on one or the other surface?

MARTA KOSTYUK: For sure I'm better on clay, 100% (smiling). As I said, I think grass is very unpredictable. I always see the stats. Whenever someone's losing, it's like whoever won in Paris didn't make it past second week, I don't know, for 10 years in a row, or whatever the stat is. Or the defending champion didn't make it past third round in long time. These kind of stats.

I don't know. I feel like for everyone, grass is pretty unpredictable. Of course, there are players who are really good at it. But I feel like majority are still, it's up and down for everyone.

Q. Do you think having gone through that stage already in Paris is going to give you a bit of an edge against Linda in the semis because that will be the first time for her?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I don't treat them as the same thing, with two different tournaments and two different opponents. Everything is different, so...

I don't know. I don't think about it at all. I just go into this match like it's another match.

Q. You said on court that you'd been a spectator on Centre Court before. I think you said you watched a Roger match. What do you remember of that match? Today, what did take away from the experience of Centre Court?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, first of all, it was nine years ago, so there is a lot of things I don't remember. I remember that he played Tomas Berdych and he beat him. I don't remember if it was quarterfinals. I don't remember which round it was.

It was great, because I was just sitting behind players box. I felt very honored to be there. I don't remember a lot. I just remember that he destroyed him, like it was really good match from Roger.

It was long time ago. I don't really remember. Of course, I was experiencing everything different. Going, like stepping on the court, was entirely different.

Q. With Russia, their Olympians might be allowed into the 2028 games. Can you give your thoughts on that, please.

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, my thoughts are that it's terrible. I think it's very, very far from fair play for all the countries involved here, not just for Ukraine.

Yeah, I 100% don't agree with this decision. But I feel like a lot of people spoke out on this issue. They obviously don't agree, as well. I don't think anything is going to change.

I just want to go out there and hopefully beat every single Russian I play in Olympics, and that's it.

Q. Do you think you need to lift that concern to the ITF?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I'm sure we're going to do something about it. I'm definitely not going to be doing this before my semifinal match. Yeah, maybe I can talk more about it in U.S. or wherever, whenever I have time to talk to the team, to the girls, to the government as well, see what we're going to do about it.

As of now, not something I'm focused on.

Q. Are you able during these two weeks to shut out what's going on back home? There was another attack Monday. Are you able to shut that out when you're here? What would it mean to Ukraine if you made the final?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I'm hoping it would mean a lot. It's not easy to disconnect entirely. It was really tough for me last week when the first big attack happened. Then on Monday they ruined like four streets of residential buildings. It was like five kilometers away from where my parents live.

Again, another difficult night and a lot of dead people, innocent people, kids. It's not easy. I tried to be aware of everything that's going on. Of course, I try for these things not to influence me too much.

Every day is different. I cope with it as it goes.

Q. Is there anyone you want to dedicate this first semifinal here in Wimbledon?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Yeah, I was thinking about it. I think it would be my mom or my grandpa. I'm so happy I'm able to do this while my grandpa is still alive. He's 89 years old. He's texting me after every single match, telling me what I should do better.

I mean, these past few matches he didn't. He was just super proud, telling me how good I'm playing. That's a win. I didn't get a lot of messages from him like this in my life (smiling). I'm very happy that they get to witness this.

I think they sacrificed so much of time and energy and themselves for my tennis, for my career. They still do. They're back home now. I feel like they deserve it as much as I do.

Q. You were talking earlier in press about the practices that you had lost against Jess and Serena.

MARTA KOSTYUK: Not just them. Everybody else (laughter).

Q. What changed since those practices? Did you take anything from those, even though they were losses, to say, Here is what I'm going to do differently? It must be a weird feeling coming in and playing not the way you wanted, but you seem to have flipped it pretty well.

MARTA KOSTYUK: 100%. I mean, when something is not going, it's showing you where you are not doing enough or you're doing something wrong.

I feel like losses and difficult moments are great for you and for your life to just get better, because if everything was good always, how would you be able to grow.

I try to embrace that challenge that I have. It wasn't easy for most of my life to think this way. It took a lot of work.

But I think, yeah, for sure, I think I was talking about it few days ago saying that losing these sets or games or whatever we played definitely showed me that I don't give myself a chance to, like, breathe and don't give myself a chance to try to do something on this surface.

Of course it got better at the end. I started playing better. The points were better. Just the structure of the game started to show.

Yeah, I mean, we work, all of us work, very hard every single day. I try to take the most out of it, especially when it's not going well.