Marta Kostyuk did not hold back after reaching the Wimbledon semifinals, using her post-match press conference to strongly oppose the possibility of Russian athletes returning to the 2028 Olympics. The Ukrainian defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 to reach her maiden Wimbledon semifinal, but much of the attention afterwards centred on her response to the IOC’s recent recommendation regarding Russian athletes.
Earlier this week, the IOC recommended that individual sports remove the neutral status requirement for Russian athletes, a move the Kremlin welcomed as a step toward restoring their participation. Kostyuk, however, made it clear she strongly disagrees.
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The World No. 13 said:
“My thoughts are that it’s terrible. I think it’s very very far from fair play, for all the countries involved here. Not just for Ukraine. 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.”
While firm in her stance, Marta Kostyuk stressed that her immediate focus remains on Wimbledon rather than the political debate:
“I want to just go out there and hopefully beat every single Russian I play in Olympics, and that’s it.”
The Ukrainian also said that she intends to raise the matter with World Tennis after the tournament, explaining that with a Grand Slam semifinal still to play, her priority is staying focused on the court.
Marta Kostyuk set to take on Linda Noskova in Wimbledon 2026 SF
Marta Kostyuk will face Linda Noskova on Thursday for a spot in the Wimbledon final, after both players reached their first Grand Slam semifinal on grass. The 12th-seeded Kostyuk reached the last four by beating Jasmine Paolini, while ninth seed Noskova has been equally impressive en route to the last four.
Kostyuk leads their head-to-head 1-0. Their only meeting came at the Madrid Open quarterfinals in April 2026, where Kostyuk won in straight sets on clay. This will be their first-ever meeting on grass.
A win would make Kostyuk the first Ukrainian woman to reach a Grand Slam singles final, a result she’s said would mean a lot given the ongoing war back home. For both players, it’s a shot at a maiden Grand Slam final on a surface neither considers their strongest.
Edited by Pritha Ghosh
