Kostyuk Slams WTA For Ignoring Ukrainian Players
WTA
Marta Kostyuk is a Ukrainian player on the WTA Tour, and amid the war in her country, she feels like the WTA doesn't help the players from her country enough.
There have been multiple incidents on the WTA Tour over the past few weeks that involved players from Ukraine, Russia, or Belarus. Kostyuk recently played against Russia's Anastasia Potapova and refused to shake her hand after the match.
Her compatriot Lesia Tsurenko withdrew from the Indian Wells Open before a match against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka because of a panic attack after a conversation with the WTA CEO Steve Simon.
After her loss at the Miami Open, Kostyuk revealed that the Ukrainian players asked the WTA for a meeting, but they didn't get a chance to have one.
"Yes, we wanted to have the meeting with the board and we didn't get one. No reply, nothing, just silence. I mean, once we're in the meeting we can talk about it. Before the meeting I don't think it's a good idea to talk about what we want to talk about there."
"There are a lot of things that I don't agree with that WTA is doing, this not going to change anything."
Kostyuk also knows that any of her statements will be closely monitored by fans online, which is why she didn't want to speak too much about some topics.
For example, Anastasia Potapova wore a Spartak Moscow jersey in Indian Wells, for which she received a warning from the WTA, but Kostyuk felt like the Russian player could have received a harsher punishment.
"I'll just get more hate online. Whatever I say, I will get a lot of hate. I don't know. Warning, whatever. You give her a warning.... You can suspend someone, I don't know. I can't comment on that really, it's just funny."
