KOSTIUK: “I hope I can show my best tennis in the match against Sobolenko”

Ukrainian tennis player Martha Kostyuk Roland Garros talked about his situation before the start and shared his expectations from the first round match with Arina Sobolenko.

“My mood is normal, I fight before the Grand Slam tournament as usual. After Rome, I went back to Monaco, spent time with my family, got better because I got sick again.

No one knew this but last month I had a wave of pain. I know a lot of people got sick in Tours. I got poisoned, then before the Billie Jean King Cup I had some kind of viral illness, got sick again in Madrid but worse. I thought it was an allergy, because there was a flower. Then after the illness, there were reactions in my body. And after Rome I came home and got sick again on the first day. I don’t know when was the last time I was in this much pain. Now the physical condition is, thankfully, normal. I feel that this wave has already passed because it is impossible to get sick for this long.

I think for the first time in the Grand Slam tournament, I will play with a tennis player with such a high rating, with the second racket of the world. I’ve never played such a top ranked player in the first round, so it will be a new experience for me. I can’t just say I’ve been lucky, but I’ve always had good nets in the first games at the top of the big ones. But what’s the point of playing tennis if I’m not playing with strong players and Sabolenko seems to be leading the season in points right now. I hope it will be a good fight and I will be able to show my best tennis.”