Kostyuk slams response from Russian players towards Ukraine invasion: "Their only problem right now is not being able to make money transfers"
WTAFriday, 11 March 2022 at 17:00
Marta Kostyuk came through a three hour battle to defeat Maryna Zanevska 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 7-5 at BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells and shared an emotional moment with the Ukrainian born Belgian which is more than can be said for Russian players according to the highly touted prospect.
Kostyuk was playing for the first time since the invasion of her homeland by Russia.
While she has been vocal on social media like other players, she faced the media and said players from Russia have behaved 'unacceptably' and only care about not being able to transfer money.
“What is very disappointing is that no Russian player came to see me," said the 19-year-old after an emotional first win.
“None have told me they're sorry for what their country is doing to mine. One player messaged me, another chatted with me, but I didn't hear any apologies, I didn't hear anyone telling me they didn't support what was going on."
“To me, that's shocking. You don't have to be involved in politics to behave like a human being. Everyone knows what's going on. It hurts me,” she continued.
“It hurts me every time I arrive at the stadium and see all these Russian players. Their only problem right now is not being able to make money transfers. That's what they're talking about! This is unacceptable in my opinion. Why do Russian players behave like this? I have no explanation, I have no idea.”
She also hit back at the 'no war' sentiment explaining why she believes prior statements made by Russian players are ignorant and have no substance.
"Again, you don't need to be involved in politics to know what's going on, who's invaded who, who's bombing who... It's very simple.
“You can't be neutral in this situation. For me, "No war" can mean several things,” she said.
“For example, we (Ukraine) could end the war by giving up. But that was never an option. From day one, I knew it wouldn't happen because I had lived through the revolution and I knew that people wouldn't want to go the other way, which was to Russia.
As well as those on the court, Kostyuk was not a fan also of the governing bodies response calling the press releases 'meaningless'.
“To me, these releases don't make sense. They are empty! What do you want? Do you want Ukraine to lose? That Russia wins? That Russia loses? I will say it a hundred times: Ukraine will never give up. We can lose, although I don't think so, but Ukraine will never give up.
“So today say "No war", for me it means wanting Ukraine to give up. Because Putin will never stop, everyone knows how crazy he is. So we fight. And these press releases, they hurt me because they are meaningless.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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