After Marta Kostyuk received heavy criticism for withdrawing from her exhibition match with Mirra Andreeva leaving the latter in an ordeal where she had to play a Battle of the Sexes, fresh details have since emerged clearing up why this was the case.
The Ukrainian was set to face Andreeva at the Open de Tennis de Bourg-de-Péage after being brought in to replace Donna Vekic who withdrew last minute and originally was set to face the winner of Andreeva v Gracheva. A male player then had to be brought in last minute and Andreeva lost in straight sets.
Explanation thread from the tournament. In summary, he says Kostyuk had agreed to play a Russian but no handshake, which they accepted. But then, word of the upcoming match spread on Ukrainian social media and Kostyuk bowed to that pressure. “No one blames her,” he concludes.
Affaire KOSTYUK : Jeudi, Donna Vekic nous a annoncé son forfait pour une douleur à l’épaule. On a alors dû chercher dans l’urgence une remplaçante. On a essuyé beaucoup de refus. Marta nous a répondu positivement.
Kostyuk's decision not to play saw her berated on social media and raised questions. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, her and compatriots have decided not to shake hands at the end of the match and has seen Kostyuk for instance booed at Roland Garros.
However facing a Russian seemingly wasn't an issue according to Journalist and treasurer of the exhibition, Xavier Coffin who aimed to clear various aspects up on Monday afternoon including that Kostyuk had received threats from back home and on social media not to play the match.
“Saturday evening: Mirra Andreeva beats Varvara Gracheva and advances to the final. From then on, the news spread in Ukraine. Marta then suffered enormous pressure on the networks,” Coffin wrote on social media platform X.
“Sunday morning: Marta arrives in Bourg-de-Péage. She had to play with some kids from the club in the morning before the afternoon game. She keeps her word and tells us “THE” news. Following the threats received on the networks, she does not feel like playing.’
“Obviously, we are disappointed because we know that 3 hours before the start of the match, it will be very complicated to replace her (Gracheva having already taken her train). We activate our networks to find a player but it is far too complicated in such a short time.”
This was a decision also accepted by the tournament despite them being put into a bit of a predicament by the news. "To make things clear, we hold no grudge against Marta and will be happy to invite her back in the future!" they wrote with Kostyuk still honouring commitments outside of the match.
