Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk angered by 'shocking' behaviour of Russian players in Indian Wells
- Planet Sport writer
- 11 March 2022
Kostyuk followed up her opening round win in Indian Wells by telling reporters she was stunned by a lack of reaction from Russian players.
Ukraine's Kostyuk sealed a 6-7 (7) 7-6 (8) 7-5 victory in the opening round, beating Ukrainian-born Belgian player Maryna Zanevska.
The pair shared an embrace following the match, supporting each other while their home nation is invaded by Russia.
While Zanevska plays as a Belgian national, she was born in Ukraine, where her family still lives.
🇺🇦 Marta Kostyuk prevails in 3 tight sets 💙💛 look at this lovely moment pic.twitter.com/2kPA6UZ2Rj
— Ryan (@Some1NamedRyan) March 11, 2022
Following the match, Kostyuk revealed the pair's conversation and that she told Zanevska everything will be okay.
"Her parents are in Ukraine, in a quieter area. Everyone is afraid. At the end of the match, I told her that she had played incredible and that everything was going to be ok, that our parents were going to be ok."
However, while both Kostyuk and Zanevska were able to sympathise with each other on court, Kostyuk admitted she was shocked by the lack of reaction from Russian players.
"What is very disappointing is that no Russian player came to see me," the 19-year-old said. "None have told me they're sorry for what their country is doing to mine.
"One player messaged me, another chatted with me, but I didn't hear any apologies, I didn't hear anyone telling me they didn't support what was going on. To me, that's shocking.
"You don't have to be involved in politics to behave like a human-being. Everyone knows what's going on. It hurts me. It hurts me every time I arrive at the stadium and see all these Russian players.
"Their only problem right now is not being able to make money transfers. That's what they're talking about. This is unacceptable in my opinion."
In over 3 hours @marta_kostyuk defeats Maryna Zanevska 6-7(5-7), 7-6(8-6), 7-5 in the opening round #BNPPO22 (Getty) pic.twitter.com/D4X0fwhHCu
— Kostyuk Fan 🇺🇦 (@KostyukFan) March 11, 2022
Unlike other sports, tennis have allowed Russian players to continue to compete under a neutral flag, a decision Kostyuk has criticised.
"I do not agree with the decisions that have been made. I will be concise: look at other sports. Look what they decided. That's all."
Many Russian and Belarusian players have called for peace, but none have gone as far as condemning the actions of their country.
Kostyuk added that you "can't be neutral" in such situations, and called for athletes to acknowledge the situation regardless of politics.
"I do not like it. Again, you don't need to be involved in politics to know what's going on, who's invaded who, who's bombing who. It's very simple. You can't be neutral in this situation."
