Marta Kostyuk looks at the wider picture when it comes to her Wimbledon campaign after losing in straight sets to Linda Noskova.
The 24-year-old was bidding to reach her first major final and become the first Ukrainian in history to contest a Wimbledon singles final. However, she came up short against Noskova, who will play Karolina Muchova in the title match this weekend. The decisive factor in Kostyuk’s defeat was her dropping serve at the end of both sets. At the end of the first, she hit three unforced errors, followed by a double fault.
“I was under pressure the whole match,” Kostyuk explained during her press conference. “She started serving first in both sets. I was always behind in the score. It’s not easy, and I think about different factors.
“But she played good. I didn’t serve really well in both of those games. It’s a combination of things.”
Whilst she has enjoyed a stellar clay swing earlier this year, Kostyuk ‘s chances going into Wimbledon were low. Last season, she was 0-3 on the surface and had never reached the last eight of a grass-court Tour event. On top of this, she played no warm-up events leading into this year’s Grand Slam.
“If someone told me two weeks ago I was going to be here (in the semi-finals), I would have taken it without thinking,” she admits.
“I’m the happiest with the freedom that I gave myself to try different things on the court and just to play tennis. Grass is not my best surface. I still don’t think it is.” She added.
Wimbledon is the latest breakthrough in what has been a stellar season for Kostyuk. In April, she won the biggest title of her career at the Madrid Open, a WTA 1000 event. She has also won a 250 in Rouen and reached the final of a 500 in Brisbane, losing to world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. Meanwhile, at the French Open, she reached the semi-finals before being beaten by Mirra Andreeva, who went on to win the title.
Kostyuk, who is on the verge of making her top 10 debut, is relishing her surge in the sport. Although she doesn’t want to take it for granted.
“I want to cherish this moment. I want to appreciate how far we’ve all come, me and my team,” she said.
“You don’t know how your life is going to look tomorrow, today, whenever. Hopefully, I will get more opportunities, but you never know if you will.
“I’m happy to be where I am.”
