Marta Kostyuk arrives in Paris ranked 15th in the world, but her past haunts her. Her high ranking masks the deep childhood trauma of a sport she played long before tennis.

Gymnastics demanded her to lead a disciplined lifestyle from a very early age. She had to strictly monitor her diet and weight to meet the demands of the sport. On media day at Roland Garros, the 23-year-old Ukrainian opened up about how the sport left her with psychological scars.

“It helped me a lot physically, but I also had to deal with many consequences afterward because it’s an extremely strict sport,” Kostyuk said. “From a very young age, I had to be very careful about my weight and what I ate. I would weigh myself twenty or thirty times a day when I was eight or ten years old, and that leaves significant mental scars.”

Kostyuk also shared that she had suffered from a serious adductor injury during her gymnastics days, and the recovery process was a long and arduous one. However, the Ukrainian feels grateful for those tough moments because they made her stronger.

“I also suffered a very serious injury when I was young, and it took me a long time to overcome all of that, but today I feel like I’m in a much better place, and I’m grateful to have gone through that experience,” she said.

One can argue that a tough childhood has prepared Kostyuk to handle the stress of playing competitive tennis. The Ukrainian tennis star has been vocal about the war going on in her country, and she has expressed concerns for her family members who are staying back home. She has been strict about the commonly accepted stance among Ukrainian players not to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian players after a match.

She stuck to those convictions in Brisbane earlier this year, refusing to shake Aryna Sabalenka’s hand or pose for photos after the final. Following her massive title win in Madrid, Kostyuk dedicated the biggest achievement of her career to the people of Ukraine.

Kostyuk does come into Roland Garros having skipped the Italian Open, so there are slight doubts about her fitness. But her on-court form suggests she could make a deep run in Paris.

Marta Kostyuk arrives in Paris with her career-best ranking

Ranked 15th in the world, Kostyuk has arrived in Paris with her career-best ranking. She is undefeated on clay this year, having a 12-0 win-loss record. The Ukrainian started her clay season at the Open de Rouen. There, she won against the likes of Diane Parry, Caty McNally, Ann Li, and Tatjana Maria to reach the final. She faced her compatriot, Veronika Podrez, in the final, winning with a routine 6-3, 6-4, in what was only her second career title.

However, the best was yet to come, as Kostyuk went on a run of a lifetime at the Madrid Open. The Ukrainian, who only had one semifinal appearance at the WTA 1000 level, won against the likes of Jessica Pegula, Linda Noskova, and Anastasia Potapova to reach the final. She faced off against the ninth-seeded Mirra Andreeva, winning 6-3, 7-5.

After winning the match, she even celebrated by doing a backflip on the court, a callback to her gymnastics days.

Even though Kostyuk’s tour-level results are off the charts, her recent Grand Slam results have been underwhelming, including three first-round exits in the last four Slams. In Paris, she has never been past the fourth round, a result she achieved back in 2021.

The pattern has happened with her this year as well. After a terrific display at Brisbane, where she reached the final, expectations for Kostyuk increased for the Australian Open, but she faltered in the first round, losing to Elsa Jacquemot.

However, Kostyuk’s clay-court form has been encouraging, and one can expect her to go past the challenge of Oksana Selekhmeteva in the first round. However, the draw gets tougher for the 15th seed, as a potential battle with Iga Swiatek looms in the fourth round.