Fresh details have emerged surrounding Marta Kostyuk’s decision to not play against a Russian player in the final of a French exhibition event on Sunday.
The Ukranian was set to take on Mirra Andreeva at the Open de Tennis de Bourg-de-Péage after being brought in to replace Donna Vekic who withdrew due to a shoulder injury. However, just hours before the match Kostyuk informed organisers that she would not be playing. As a result, a male player had to be brought in at the last minute to fill the gap which Andreeva ended up losing to in straight sets.
Kostyuk’s decision not to play raised questions about why she chose not to do so. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, she and her compatriots have continued to play against those from Russia but declined to shake hands at the end of their matches in a show of respect to those fighting on the frontline back home. One notable example occurred at the French Open when Kostyuk was booed for not shaking hands with Aryna Sabalenka who is from Belarus. A country that is accused of supporting the ongoing war.
Journalist and treasurer of the exhibition, Xavier Coffin, has issued a statement saying that Kostyuk’s decision to not play came after she received ‘threats’ on social media but he didn’t elaborate any further as to what they were. Ubitennis asked the 21-year-old on Sunday if she wanted to comment on the matter but declined to do so.
“Saturday evening: Mirra Andreeva beats Varvara Gracheva and advances to the final. From then on, the news spread in Ukraine. Marta then suffered enormous pressure on the networks,” Coffin wrote on social media platform X.
“Sunday morning: Marta arrives in Bourg-de-Péage. She had to play with some kids from the club in the morning before the afternoon game. She keeps her word and tells us “THE” news. Following the threats received on the networks, she does not feel like playing.’
“Obviously, we are disappointed because we know that 3 hours before the start of the match, it will be very complicated to replace her (Gracheva having already taken her train). We activate our networks to find a player but it is far too complicated in such a short time.”
Coffin’s account of what happened appears to be backed up by the tournament who reposted his statement on their official X account. Along with the post, they wrote ‘To make things clear, we hold no grudge against Marta and will be happy to invite her back in the future!’
As it currently stands Russian and Belarusian players are allowed to play at Tour-level events but only as neutral athletes. They are also currently suspended from team events such as the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. Recently the International Olympic Committee ruled that players from those countries would be allowed to play at the 2024 Games but only as neutral athletes.
Kostyuk is currently ranked 39th in the world and has one WTA title to her name.
