Marta Kostyuk has experienced a turnaround after a challenging period in her tennis career. Following an exhibition match loss to Elina Svitolina in India last December, Kostyuk contemplated quitting tennis.
She told her coach, Sandra Zaniewska, that she would consider quitting if she didn’t improve. Kostyuk said she felt like she was shedding her skin and that she had been dealing with this for the past four years. She felt like she had tried everything.
Kostyuk’s Recent Successes
Five months later, Kostyuk is in a different place. She has won her past two events, the Rouen Open and the Madrid Open.
Winning these events has trebled her career total of WTA titles. This goes some way to dispel the notion that she is not mentally tough enough to have the kind of career her talent merits.
French Open Win Amidst Difficult Circumstances
After skipping the Italian Open to avoid aggravating a leg issue, she arrived at the French Open on an 11-match winning streak as the world No. 15. Shortly before her 6-2, 6-3 win over Oksana Selekhmeteva, a missile struck near Kostyuk’s parents’ home in Kyiv.
Kostyuk said she was incredibly proud of herself. She called it one of the most difficult matches of her career. She said that she didn’t know how the match would turn out and that she had been crying part of the morning.
Kostyuk said it’s important to keep going and cited the Ukrainian people as her biggest example. She said she looked at the people who woke up and kept living their lives and helping people and that she knew a lot of Ukrainian flags would be there and a lot of Ukrainian people would come out and support her. Kostyuk also said that her friends from Ukraine came as well.
Kostyuk’s Difficulties Continued Into 2026
Following her “rock bottom” at the end of 2025, Kostyuk’s difficulties continued into 2026. She lost to Elsa Jacquemot in a seesawing Australian Open first-round match.
Kostyuk’s path understanding this reality, and changing her tennis one, has has not been straightforward.