Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk talked to reporters after the defeat of Anastasia Potapova in the match of 1/32 finals of the WTA 1000 series tournament in Miami (USA):
On the reaction of the WTA to the request of the Ukrainian players for a meeting after the scandalous conversation between Lesya Tsurenko and Steve Simon
– Yes, we wanted to have a meeting with the WTA Board of Directors and did not get it. No response from the WTA, nothing, just silence. What did we want to talk about? I would not like to discuss what issues we wanted to raise at this meeting. I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk about it until the meeting has taken place.
About the warning that the WTA issued to Anastasia Potapova for going out in the T-shirt of the Moscow «Spartacus» for a match in Indian Wells
– There are many things that I do not agree with in the actions of the WTA. But it won’t change anything. I will only get more hate on the internet. No matter what I say, I’ll get more hate. Don’t know. Warning, whatever. You give her a warning… You can suspend someone, I don’t know. I can’t comment on it, it’s just ridiculous.
About the words of Arina Sobolenko that she faced hatred in the locker room
– I may not say hello to some players, but I didn’t approach anyone, I didn’t talk to anyone. Perhaps it is believed that I sow hatred just by being in the locker room. I don’t know what people are thinking. Obviously there is tension, we are not friends, we are at war at the moment.
On how you manage to switch off from thoughts about the war during the match
– It depends on the day. I never know what will happen. I can think what I want to think, I can do what I can do, but the moment I step on the court, I never know what awaits me. I try to read as little news as possible. I think it’s just good for your health to avoid any kind of news, because over the past year, most of the news that I get is terrible.
