Playing for one’s country is the highest motivation for any athlete, and given the form Marta Kostyuk has been in this year, the Ukrainian would have been chomping at the bit to get started at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. However, the World No. 10 had to make the tough decision to withdraw from the tournament, citing wrist pain, which she shared in an emotional message.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“As you may know, I’ve been dealing with pain in my wrist for the past few weeks. I hoped that some rest after the US Open would help, but unfortunately, the pain has got worse,” said Kostyuk on her Instagram story. “The MRI confirmed that my wrist needs more time and proper recovery before I can compete again. This means that, unfortunately, I won’t be able to join the Ukrainian team for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. I was looking forward to being there, playing alongside the girls, and representing Ukraine together. It’s always incredibly special, so I’m very sad to miss it.”
The discomfort in the wrist has not come out of the blue for Kostyuk, as the Ukrainian had been feeling some pain during the Cincinnati Open and the US Open. She used heavy taping to block the pain and gritted her teeth through the tournaments, including a fourth-round run in New York, where she lost to Linda Noskova in a tight three-set battle. Even in her last match against Liudmila Samsonova in Guadalajara, she was seen struggling with pain before losing.
Kostyuk’s withdrawal comes as a big hit to the Ukrainian team ahead of their tie against Belgium next week in Shenzhen. The Ukrainian team still has the likes of Elina Svitolina and Dayana Yastremska, and, given the rankings, that should be enough to beat the Belgian team, in which Hanne Vandewinkel is the highest-ranked singles player at No. 84.
However, for Ukraine’s title ambitions, Kostyuk would have been vital to their plans, as she won three of her four singles matches last year during Ukraine’s semifinal run at the Billie Jean King Cup. Even in their qualifying-round tie against Poland this year, Kostyuk won her singles match against Magda Linette, paving the way for a 4-0 win for Ukraine.
Overall, Kostyuk has an 11-3 singles record in the Billie Jean King Cup and has always been keen to represent her country. Even though she’s out of the competition, Kostyuk would be supporting her teammates, attempting to will them over the line.
“For now, I need to take a pause from competing and give my wrist the time it needs to heal,” said Kostyuk in her message on Instagram. “I don’t know how long the recovery will take but I’ll be doing everything I can to come back healthy. And of course, I’ll be cheering for the girls from afar and supporting them every step of the way.”
For the competition, this is the second hit to their Finals lineup, after World No.1 Elena Rybakina withdrew from the tournament as well. As for Kostyuk, this is not the first time she has faced an injury crisis in her career. Even this year, she sustained a leg injury after falling during her first-round match at the Australian Open. She lost that match and had to miss a month of action on the Tour, but once she got her feet back under her, she was nearly unstoppable during the clay-court season this year.
Marta Kostyuk Has Been in Terrific Form in 2026
2026 has been the breakthrough year for Kostyuk, who started the year with a runner-up finish in Brisbane. After the injury in Australia, the Ukrainian took some time to settle back on the Tour. Incidentally, it was the clay-court match against Linette at the Billie Jean King Cup that saw the World No.10 go on an impressive streak.
After beating Linette, Kostyuk won 16 consecutive matches, capturing titles in Rouen and Madrid and reaching the semifinals of the French Open. She next aced the Wimbledon challenge, showing she was capable of playing on the low-bounce grass surface, as she reached the semifinal at SW19, a tournament where she had never been past the third round before.
Injuries hindered her from playing at full force during the hard-court swing, but she still had decent runs in Cincinnati and at the US Open. It remains unknown when she will return to the Tour, as she is No. 9 in the WTA Race Rankings and has a real shot at qualifying for the WTA Finals, which would be a first in her career.