If you don’t know already, Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk rose to fame when she became the youngest player of this century to bag the grand slam match in Melbourne in 2018. She has once again made headlines after defeating Amanda Anisimova of the US in the Australian Open 2023 match. Anisimova is a former semi-finalist at the French Open who had previously defeated world-renowned Naomi Osaka in Melbourne last year. Kostyu, who is currently ranked 61, sent Anisimova packing in the first round itself. But Kostyuk’s international wins aren’t the only thing making headlines. It’s her voice and strong stance for her motherland Ukraine that is getting her much attention along with a lot of recognition.
Kostyuk has been very outspoken about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Last year she grabbed headlines for refusing to shake hands with Belarusian tennis player Victoria Azarenka, and her stance continues even today. She has openly said that she would refuse to do the customary handshake at the net with any Russian or Belarusian opponent who did not raise their voice against the invasion, reported Reuters.
Last year she expressed that it was her choice and given that she didn’t know any single person who condemned the war publicly, she didn’t feel like she could support this. She also praised her opponent and said that Azarenka is a great player and that her decision to not shake hands had nothing to do with her being a human being.
After Kostyuk expressed her opinion, Azarenka at a press conference had said that she had reached out via WTA to talk with Ukrainian athletes a few times but she was told to refrain from doing so.
According to an IE report, Kostyuk in April 2022, led a team of Ukrainian players and demanded the administrators to confirm with Russian and Ukrainian players if they supported the war or the opposite. Since no one came forward to denounce the war, Kostyuk and her team believed that these players should be banned from international events.
“There comes a time when silence is betrayal, and that time is now,” the statement from the players said then, reported IE.