“I’ve always worked until I was exhausted. But now I’ve realized that it won’t work that way,” she said. “[Tennis players’] careers are quite short, so you need to live it with excitement, enjoy it, and not suffer and wait for it to end. I like how I’m playing now, what mood I’m in and how I enjoy my work.”
Watch: Marta Kostyuk asks Beijing DJ to swap Adele for “happier music”
That perspective came in the middle of a solid season in which she reached three WTA 1000 quarterfinals and the US Open fourth round for the first time. But it also had an injury scare in the summer. Forced to retire from a quarterfinal match against Elena Rybakina in Montreal, it was later revealed that she had a torn ligament in her hand, leading to uncertainty about whether she’d even step on court in New York.
The ups and downs helped Kostyuk, known for her big personality and expressions on the court, ground herself.
“All high-level players can play tennis,” she told Vogue. “But your psyche decides a lot. … I’m open to all emotions, both good and bad. It’s a cool process of life. For me, the most valuable thing is to watch myself change, grow and develop.”
