Marta Kostyuk revealed that she recently watched highlights of her Australian Open 2017 girls’ singles final triumph.
That was seven years ago, a result she backed up in incredible style with her third-round finish in the women’s singles at AO 2018 – as a qualifier ranked outside the top 500, no less.
“Sometimes I think it’s really important to go back and live in your head all the moments because I was so different, I was so young. Doesn’t mean I was better or worse, but it was just a different time and a lot to take from it,” Kostyuk told ausopen.com.
“They were very emotional, very overwhelming and very happy times. There are times in your life where you really feel like you’re peaking, and this is how I felt during those years.
“I was really on that high and it’s a nice feeling. I don’t necessarily think that you should feel like this all the time. I don’t think first of all it’s possible.”
What is striking about listening to Kostyuk articulate these thoughts is the fact she is only 21 years old.
This is someone who has experienced the full spectrum of what confronts professional tennis players on tour: the ebb and flow of confidence, injuries, coaching changes, perspective shifts, managing pressures – both internal and external – and coming to understand that on-court results do not entirely define a person.
Kostyuk has grappled with all these experiences and lessons as she embarks on her seventh professional season, despite only leaving her teenage years 18 months ago.
Her early Australian successes came when she was a 14- and 15-year-old – the true definition of a prodigy.
Her form in reaching the third round at AO 2018 was part of an early-season purple patch where she won 18 of her first 22 matches. In just three months, she’d gone from world No.523 to the brink of the world’s top 150.
There was a regression in 2019, with Kostyuk later revealing to WTA Insider that her mental health suffered as she struggled with feelings of expectation to replicate her level of the previous year.
But when she cracked the top 100 in late 2020, she hasn’t looked back, remaining inside that bracket ever since.
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She has since made two more third rounds at the Australian Open, most recently in 2023, a season which marked new milestones. These included her first WTA title in Austin, top 40 debut, and wins against three of her past four top-10 opponents.
“I felt like I needed it to feel that I really belong where I am because I was always promising and a good player, but I never had the title. So it was tough to evaluate where I am,” Kostyuk explained.
“This was kind of a definition that I am moving in the right direction.”
But in another sign of her striking maturity, Kostyuk said it was her off-court highlights that were her most memorable part of 2023 – and that it was these moments away from the court that players could do better to celebrate.
The Ukrainian got engaged to fiancé Heorhii in March, and the couple got married in a November ceremony in Cyprus.
Kostyuk, who has been guided by mother Talina – a former professional herself – throughout her career, also continues to work with a female coach in Sandra Zaniewska.
She believes Zaniewska had brought better structure to her professional approach, and an improved ability to analyse herself and her own game.
After winning her opening match of season 2024 at the Brisbane International, Kostyuk is looking forward to bigger and better things.
She especially loves Australia, where she feels connected to the Ukrainian community as well as enjoying strong support from Aussie fans.
“It's a different time of my life. I really feel different outside of the court, on the court,” said Kostyuk, whose best Grand Slam result was a fourth-round finish at Roland Garros in 2021.
“I really don’t know how this year is going to turn out for me. Hopefully very good. I’ve been on tour for many years already. It really feels a lot and hopefully I can finally feel different, like not the young, promising star anymore.
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“I’m really curious how I’m going to feel once I start winning big titles because that is the pressure that I haven’t been through before and everyone copes with it in a different way.
“I don’t feel that much pressure anymore because for me frankly, it doesn’t make any difference if I’m 40, 60 or 80 in the world… I think the real difference starts when you’re top 10.
“This is where I would like to test myself to see how consistent I can be, how I can hold there and not be a one-hit wonder.
“I’m really looking forward to this kind of pressure and experience.”