"This one hurts" - Marta Kostyuk withdraws from Rome Open after brace of title charges take its toll

Marta Kostyuk is a tennis player in form having won her last 11 matches. She was set to compete in the Rome Open following a maiden WTA 1000 title, but the effects of playing so much tennis in a short period of time has taken its toll. She has listened to her body and withdrew from the Rome Open.

It has been a blistering period for the Ukrainian. She began the year well, reaching the final of the Brisbane International before injury struck at a cruel time, seeing her miss a number of big tournaments in the lead-up to the Sunshine swing. A brace of third round exits were setbacks, but what she would go on to produce on clay would be stunning.

She commenced her clay swing at the Rouen Open. As the top seed, there was pressure and expectation for her to win the tournament, and that is exactly what she did in fine fashion, dropping just two sets.

The Madrid Open was next on her agenda. A tournament she previously had a strong disliking to. That has obviously changed completely. The signs looked promising after routing Jessica Pegula in the third round. A bagel saw off Linda Noskova to seal a spot in the semi-final against Anastasia Potapova. Despite dropping her first set of the tournament, she managed to prevail in a topsy turvey match to set up a showdown against Mirra Andreeva in the final. She went into it as the underdog but left with the trophy. Now up to a career high of world number 15, the 23-year-old was hoping to prolong her impressive form in the Italian capital, but that will no longer be the case.

She released the news on her Instagram, confirming to her fans that she will not be confirming back to back WTA 1000 success.

"This one hurts," she wrote. "After the best stretch of my career, I was looking forward to Rome. But sometimes your body has other plans, and over the past few days I’ve been dealing with a hip issue. With my ankle still not fully at 100%, it’s just not smart to keep pushing right now, so I won’t be competing there this year."

It is a tough pill to swallow due to her love of the tournament. "That’s what makes it even harder, because it’s such a special place for me. The fans, the atmosphere, and yes… the food. I’ve had some amazing moments here, and I always love coming back. I’m sad to miss it, but I’ll see you next year. Now it’s time to recover and get ready for Paris. Thank you for all the love."

It seems like a smart decision with Roland Garros coming up fast. After her recent positive results, she will be heavily touted by many to complete a deep run in Paris. She has made it past the second round just once, coming in 2021 where she culminated at the fourth round. The aim is to fully recover and be fit and fresh to possibly challenge for the Grand Slam title. Roland Garros will commence May 24-June 7.