World no.44 Marta Kostyuk entered the 2023 hard court season with signs of promise. The Ukrainian had just hired Sandra Zaniewska as coach and looked to put her best foot forward in the US Open. With a lot on her mind, including the dire situation back at home, Marta lost her US Open first-round match to a beastly Elena Rybakina.
Nevertheless, the 21-year-old worked hard to prepare for the China Open in October and produced spectacular tennis in her first two rounds. She even defeated No. 7 seed and Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur in the second round.
Marta Kostyuk believes players should work with female coaches
Marta Kostyuk has shed light on the importance of female coaches for budding tennis players. Historically, several champions have been produced as a result of male coaching, including Serena Williams and Venus Williams. However, Marta feels female mentors bring a different perspective and an emotional touch to the court that male coaches often lack.
“I’m a person who talks, & it was very difficult for me because when you work with a male coach, most of them don’t talk. They cannot express what you feel & adjust.”, she said.
The often-derided stereotype of both genders is that males are testosterone-fueled beings who offer silent commands, while their counterparts are chirpy bird-like people with emotional biases.
Based on her own experience, Marta seems to have gotten first-hand accounts of both genders in coaching and feels that the reasons may be deeper than just stereotypical prejudices. It could come down to a heartfelt connection and comfort that brings out the best of both worlds—the players and the coaches.
Marta Kostyuk out of China Open
In a marathon third-round encounter with Russian Liudmila Samsonova, Marta Kostyuk bowed out of the China Open with a 4-6, 7-6, 5-7 loss.
The match played out like a rollercoaster ride. Marta started slowly but eventually built up her proficiency as the game progressed, and then swiftly shifted gears in the second set to overcome a resilient Samsonova.
In the third set, the Ukrainian came off the blocks like a girl on a mission and broke her opponent twice. But the error-strewn Samsonova managed to redeem herself with some sumptuous striking of the ball to trounce Marta in a thriller.
As with her norm of ignoring Russians at the net, Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Liudmila Samsonova. The girl from Kyiv has been a vocal supporter of her homeland during this time of hatemongering and civilian massacres. She has openly denounced the Ukraine war, as have many of her colleagues and supporters too.
In the past, she has refused to shake hands with all of the Russians and Belarusians on tour, including world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, whose remarks on the situation caused a furor in the tennis world.
Should female athletes choose female coaches, if they wish so, and go against the typical understanding of tennis coaching as a power-based sport? Will Marta Kostyuk have a better season with coach Sandra Zaniewska next season? Let us know in the comments section below.
