Marta Kostyuk On War, Bots & Wimbledon: ‘It Strengthened My Sense of Purpose’

Marta says speaking out gives her purpose
 

Wimbledon 2026: Kostyuk balances on-court progress with off-court message. Speaking out on Ukraine war gave me purpose on tennis tour.

“There's nothing better than this because it means I touch important topics people don't want to hear...”

 

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk said standing firmly against Russia’s invasion gave her tennis career sharper meaning. The online criticism she faces for it has only strengthened her drive to keep using her voice.

Kostyuk has been among the tour’s most vocal players since the war began in 2022. She’s consistently pushed for more awareness of the conflict and dismissed “neutrality” as an option, arguing that players should stay true to their values even while competing.

Kostyuk Carries Conviction From Paris to Wimbledon

The 23-year-old matched her on-court intensity in press conferences during her run to the French Open semi-finals this month. She spoke plainly about a heavy topic, and her words connected with people far outside tennis.

“Well, I think at this point it has strengthened my sense of ‌purpose, because what I find fascinating is how many bots always attack my social media,” Kostyuk told Reuters after taking a break ahead of Wimbledon.

“There's nothing better than this because it means I touch important topics people don't want to hear.”

“Before, ‌it used to be frustrating and difficult for me to endure ⁠even though I knew that the majority of it ‌was bots, not real people. But now I'm really fuelling up with it, because I know these are the things I have to talk about,” she added.

More Than Matches: Kostyuk on Talking What’s Important

“I hope the war isn't going to last my whole career and ... I'm going to raise other issues.

“At this moment in my life, war is one of the most important things that happens to me every day so I have to talk about it.”

Since the invasion began, players from Russia and its ally Belarus have been permitted to compete on tour as neutral athletes, with no national flags or official country representation.

Marta Kostyuk explains why it is important for her to speak out against Russia's war on Ukraine 🇺🇦 . . . pic.twitter.com/Irn5Tjn23T

— FirstSportz Tennis (@FS_Tennis1) June 21, 2026

Building Momentum, Managing Expectations

  

Away from the debate over her stance on the war, world No. 13 Kostyuk said her French Open semi-final run gave her confidence. That Paris result capped a strong clay season where she also won titles in Rouen and Madrid.

She arrives at Wimbledon with lower expectations though, after an off-court ankle injury forced her to miss all grass-court warm-up events before the Grand Slam starts Monday.

“The biggest thing I've improved is my mental part, but not in the sense that I've become a different person. I feel like I just got more control over ‌my thoughts, my state,” she added.

“I don't spend too much extra energy on things I cannot control. This helps me to stay longer in these tournaments. I don't get burnt out and ‌don't get tired a lot. This helps me obviously to keep the level higher.

“There are players who have made the semi-finals of Grand Slams but never made it further, or never reached another semi-final of a Grand Slam. So it's really difficult to talk about how I think I'm going to play.

“I wish I would feel like, 'oh yes, Wimbledon or the U.S. Open ⁠is mine' or whatever, but I don't think ⁠you feel this way ever. You go ‌into every tournament playing match by match and see how it goes.”