Until early June, Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk had never reached the last four at a Grand Slam. Six weeks later, the 24-year-old has done it twice and now stands on the verge of making history for all of Ukrainian tennis, with just one win separating her from becoming the first from her country to reach a Major final. But before she steps onto the court to face Linda Noskova, she decided to address a major announcement made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

“My thoughts are that it’s terrible,” Kostyuk said in her post-match press conference. “I think it’s very, very far from fair play for all the countries involved here. Not just for Ukraine,” she added while addressing the IOC’s decision to provisionally lift suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). 

“I 100% don’t agree with this decision. I feel like a lot of people spoke out on this issue, and they obviously don’t agree as well. I don’t think anything is going to change. I want to just go out there and hopefully beat every single Russian I play in the Olympics, and that’s it,” Marta explained.

Russian athletes were initially banned from using their country’s flags ahead of the 2018 Winter Games, following the uncovering of massive state-sponsored doping allegations. But the athletes were permitted to compete in South Korea, and then at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, representing the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) flag. In October 2023, though, the ROC itself got suspended.

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Athletes from Russia had to compete at the Paris 2024 Games and the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games as neutral athletes, with some governing bodies prohibiting their participation altogether. World Athletics, for instance, has a complete ban on athletes from the country, which still stands regardless of the IOC’s decision.

The ATP, WTA, and ITF never imposed blanket bans on Russian players, though, which is why tennis players continued to compete at the Olympics. What could change in 2028, though, is that Russian players may be allowed to represent the ROC, which they couldn’t in 2024.

And for Kostyuk, one of the most outspoken critics of Russia, the news drew a negative reaction during her press conference. The 2026 French Open semifinalist has consistently used her platform to keep Ukraine at the center of the wider conversation.

Even last month, before the Championships, her tone became more emotional as she reflected on the reality unfolding back home. “I focus on what messages I want to convey, what I want to talk about, and on sharing people’s pain, my own pain,” Kostyuk explained while talking to Clay Tennis.

Her stance has not just been limited to words, either. The Ukrainian has also made her protests against Russian WTA players visible on the court. Fans notably saw her refuse to shake hands with Russia’s Mirra Andreeva after their French Open semifinal last month.

Kostyuk’s stance on the issue is unlikely to change anytime soon. But for now, her biggest opportunity to represent Ukraine comes on the tennis court, and earlier in the day, she did exactly that with another historic win at SW19.

Marta Kostyuk shares her thoughts after victory over Jasmine Paolini

On Wednesday at Centre Court, Marta Kostyuk took another huge step in her career by reaching her first SW19 semifinal. She booked that spot by defeating 30-year-old Italian Jasmine Paolini in straight sets. With that run, Kostyuk equalled fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who had previously reached the All-England Club semifinals twice. 

Paolini, who finished runner-up at SW19 in 2024, never really found her rhythm in the match. The former world No. 4 ended the contest with 26 unforced errors and just 8 winners, numbers that told the story of a difficult afternoon.

The Ukrainian, by contrast, delivered a much steadier performance. She struck 19 winners and also made 19 unforced errors, a far more balanced display that allowed her to stay in control. After the match, Kostyuk was asked about the surge in her results.

“I think I worked on a lot of things for a long period of time. I cannot point out something that was like one thing. I feel like tennis is a very complex sport, so you cannot separate something that you change and that’s it,” she said.

Kostyuk has also credited her coach’s clever tactics for helping her pull off the upset over the Italian at the All-England Club. That win today has now pushed her into another massive test, with Linda Noskova waiting next for a place in her first Grand Slam final.

The Ukrainian leads their H2H 1-0 after beating the Czech in straight sets in the Madrid Open. And while they are about to face each other tomorrow, who do you think will win?