PORSCHE TENNIS GRAND PRIX

April 21, 2024

Marta Kostyuk

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/M. Kostyuk

6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Marta, obviously not the match you would have hoped for today or the result, but you must be proud of your results this week overall.

MARTA KOSTYUK: Well, yeah, of course it sucks to lose in the final, especially a match like this. I couldn't produce a fight. You know, she was really on top today.

Yeah, but overall, obviously very proud of myself this week.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congrats on the final. In terms of not being able to produce the fight today, how much of that was the crazy week catching up to you today and how much was it the tennis that Elena was able to produce?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I think 90% my tiredness played a role today. Every morning I didn't know what to expect from myself on the court today, because really me being able to pull off this whole week and play an amazing tennis yesterday was something incredible and something I would never expect I can do.

But today, you know, obviously I was very nervous. I wanted to win a lot this one, and yeah, I think there were a lot of things together. Yeah, I just couldn't probably bear it anymore.

Q. Did you have the feeling before the match that you are tired, or did it then really come in and you were not able to recover?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I don't know, because I wasn't looking for this feeling before the match, if I'm tired or not. I just tried to prepare myself as much as possible for this match.

Yeah, when I was on court, it was one point after another, game after game. Yeah, I really couldn't produce pretty much anything today.

Q. You're rightly proud of your achievements this week and this year as a whole, I heard that in your speech afterwards. But you were frustrated on that last point. You know, you showed it with the racquet throw. Do you sort of think that you didn't quite, you know, do yourself justice today?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I think it was more, like, have you ever lost a match for Porsche (smiling)? That hurts. I mean, honestly when I lost the match in San Diego, it didn't hurt as much as today. This is the only tournament in the world when you win something in the final besides, you know, a title and the prize money.

So of course this is something I really wanted, and yeah, I think whoever loses here in the final will understand me really well (smiling).

Q. Marta, would you then consider this week what you said in terms of what you were able to pull off this week, is this week a breakthrough week for you in terms of what you were able to accomplish? Does it feel that way?

MARTA KOSTYUK: It's much shorter tournament than a Grand Slam, even though it's a very high-level tournament. So I don't know, you know, because, you know, tennis itself, it's very different every day, every tournament.

You know, I can play a 500 and play four out of five matches against top-10 players, but Qinwen this year in Australia, she made it to the final of Australia without facing top-50 player.

You know, so you don't know, you know. Is it enough to win a Grand Slam when you play final of this tournament or not? Or you need to perform better? It's like I don't measure these things if, you know, it was a breakthrough or not, because I had really a lot of incredible weeks this year, and they were all very different, very different level of players, but some weeks I was overcoming more stuff, you know, some weeks less.

But I don't probably measure it in a way if it was a breakthrough or not, because it was an amazing week, and I went through a lot of things and I managed to push through and come out on the other side better. This is the only thing I'm focusing on.

But I don't really take this as something like incredible, you know, like wow, week of my life, or whatever. No, of course it was a great week, but I'm moving on.

Q. How would you describe the impact of Sandra Zaniewska on your game and on your improvement?

MARTA KOSTYUK: I mean, you can see the results. I will not tell you a lot of specific things, but she definitely has and had a lot of impact on my game and on my life, so it's important to have someone like this by your side, especially if it's someone that is close to you.

Q. At 6-2, 5-2, 40-15 down, you're facing two match points, you would go on to face another one as well, which I think you saved, did you still believe at that point, or did you thank, I can't do this for another hour? Or did maybe your other matches this week help you in that moment, think, I could get into back into this? It was obviously a long way behind.

MARTA KOSTYUK: I was thinking this way earlier than match point, I tell you this, that I will not be able to handle this for more than one hour.

Yeah, I'm a human being, at the end of the day, like all of us. Of course, you know, it's not like I was giving up at the end, but on the match points I was, like, you know you got to fight till the end, because what if she just falls now and she cannot get up and you win?

But this is the only thing you can really do in these moments, because you can be delusional but to certain point. I'm not that delusional yet to believe in something like this, yeah, because it was really a tough, tough week for me. You know, I had a very, very good player on the other side.

Yeah, I was fighting, but I still, you know, I don't feel like I believed in a miracle today.

Q. Would you please give us a literal translation of the Ukrainian motto you gave at the end? And the other thing, maybe an insight about these last moments, the racquet damage, you having your face behind your towel, and then regetting composure. And then obviously the new challenge by the Ukrainian support?

MARTA KOSTYUK: Sorry, what's the question?

THE MODERATOR: What you said in the speech, he wants to understand what that...

MARTA KOSTYUK: "Slava Ukraini!" It's a saying we say in Ukraine. This is "Glory to Ukraine." People reply, "Glory to heroes."

I used to say it before, as well, but it became more mainstream when the war began. So, yeah, I mean, it's kind of like I take it as -- you know, I recognize Ukrainian people abroad, because this is the way you -- you know, for example, I don't know, we're in Monaco, for example, there are a lot of Russians, of course, and Ukrainian people, and if I see someone that I think is Ukrainian, I say, "Slava Ukraini!" If they don't reply, I definitely know that they are Russians (laughter).

Yeah, but I think it's important to give this recognition, you know, to Ukraine and everything that we have been through as a nation. Now it's a very difficult time, and it's continuing to be a difficult time. So I don't want anyone to forget about it really, because it's still happening.