Marta Kostyuk's bizarre good luck charm en route to Madrid Open title - a set of men's underwear

Sunday, 03 May 2026 at 10:30

Kostyuk holding the 2026 Madrid Open trophy.

Marta Kostyuk continued her epic clay court run where she has remained unbeaten all of the last month so far by winning the Madrid Open final in a sensory overload of a final with the Ukrainian performing a backflip after she sealed the title.

This while Andreeva was sat crying across the court and she also failed as expected to shake Andreeva's hand and didn't acknowledge her in her post match speech something which annoyed some people but as ever was something that was pre explained again before this match.

But she also had a good luck charm as she continues her form on after also winning Rouen last month. She has carried a pair of random men's underwear with her during this period that she has dubbed Lucky Pants.

The story of Lucky Pants

Showing off this piece of underwear, it raised eyebrows and laughter and she explained that it was a mix up in clothes and that they ended up with a piece of underwear in which it was written in it, Lucky Shorts so her coach kept it.

She said that her coach Sandra Zaniewska drove all the way to her father's house to pick it up before travelling to the tournament and to make sure that they were there in Madrid. As well as the promise that if they were to win that they would bring the pants to shoot with the trophy.

They did win the title scooping the win 6-3, 7-5 so Kostyuk kept to their word and brought them out as well as the backflip which has often been a celebration winning titles in her earlier days but not so much now but she showed that still being young at only 23 that it can still be produced.

Marta Kostyuk brought her Lucky Pants with her.

Most of the viral images from said final were of Kostyuk's backflip so it certainly worked. "We have a tournament ⁠laundry service and sometimes the clothes get mixed up and last year we ended up ‌with this piece of underwear where in it was written 'Lucky Shorts'. So we kept it," Kostyuk told Spanish broadcaster Movistar Plus.

"My ‌coach Sandra (Zaniewska) kept it as a lucky charm. She drove to her father's house just to pick it up before traveling here again for the tournament. And we made this promise that if ⁠I'd win we would bring the 'Lucky Shorts' for the photoshoot with the trophy."

She also albeit struggled to open the champagne bottle said that the tournament tasted like champagne and that after growing up watching the Madrid Open, it was a sweet taste to win it and join the annals of history with others who have done the same.

There will be no rest for the wicked now though as she heads promptly onto the next task which will be Rome where she will be slated to play in the middle of the week and after winning Rouen, Kostyuk has played all of the past few weeks so pre Roland Garros, it will be interesting if she turns into a contender or falls under the weight of playing too much.

"This trophy tastes like champagne, no doubt about it," she ⁠said. "Honestly, watching this tournament as a child and remembering all the people who've won it before me, I never thought this was ⁠possible, it's amazing.

"It's one of the toughest tournaments of the year, and everyone plays so well, especially now. So it certainly tastes good, but I just want to enjoy this today ‌and that's it."

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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