"They still behave like the world owes them everything": Kostiuk on Russian tennis players

Ukraine's third-ranked player Marta Kostiuk (WTA No. 32) said that the Russian tennis players she played with on the tour were very defiant, despite their neutral status. According to the 21-year-old from Kyiv, it was very difficult to play against Russians at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Now Kostiuk sees playing against them as part of her job and turns off her emotions.

"And they still haven't calmed down, so their egos are very inflated. The biggest country in the world and all that. We are all the best, we are Russians. I mean, they walk around with such an expression on their face, as if they are owed everything. They have nothing to do with it," Kostiuk said on 1+1 Snidanok.

Kostiuk noted that everyone is already used to their neutral status.

"I think they are used to it too. I don't know how uncomfortable they really are as no one is raising this topic now. And I cannot assess the current situation there," Kostiuk summarized.

On March 4, Kostiuk lost in the final of the WTA 500 tournament in San Diego (USA) with a prize pool of $900,000. The match against Katie Boulter of Great Britain (WTA No. 49) ended with a score of 7:5, 2:6, 2:6.

It should be noted that in the semifinals, Marta won the toughest victory over the fifth world number five. In the semifinals, the Ukrainian defeated American Jessica Pegula (WTA No. 5) 6:7 (4:7), 1:6 in an hour and a half.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!