Ukrainian tennis stars are caught in a crossfire, balancing passion and patriotism. Professional tennis players from Ukraine, such as Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina, are shining examples of talent and perseverance. But even outside of the arenas where they perform, they bring with them a keen understanding of the difficulties facing their native country. Recently, the 21-year-old Kostyuk made it to the San Diego Open final and ended the tournament as a runner-up.

After the match, she got a little emotional while talking about her family and the situation that prevails in the country, not knowing what comes next. Let’s take a look at what the Ukrainian rising star had to say about dedicating her victory to her family and Ukraine.

Marta Kostyuk gets emotional thinking about her family 

While Kostyuk was happy being the runner-up of the tournament, despite losing to Katie Boulter, she couldn’t stop herself from getting teary-eyed while talking about the situation in Ukraine, as she dedicated her achievement to her family.

“I don’t want to make you too sad. Sorry. I want to say thank you first of all to my family back home. It’s been difficult last couple of nights for Ukraine, and a lot of sorry. Yeah,  my family is in Ukraine right now, and I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but there is nobody who sacrificed more for my career than them, and I want to dedicate this small trophy to them,” she said.

With a heavy voice and eyes full of tears, she also talked about how she just wanted to see her family witness her victories as much as possible, as they are the reason behind her rise in the tennis arena. Along with that, she also highlighted how the last couple of nights have been difficult for Ukraine, and even for her and her family, as they are still back in the country.

READ MORE – WTA Beauty Marta Kostyuk Drops Strange Reaction After Defeating Home-Favorite Jessica Pegula in San Diego

That being said, Kostyuk is not the first Ukrainian to talk about the worrying situation in the country. Just a few days ago, 23-year-old tennis star, Dayana Yastremska, opened up about her recent visit to Ukraine and how, amid all the tense scenarios, she even could not get proper rest at night.

Dayana Yastremska highlights Ukraine’s tense situation 

After achieving a poster on victory in the San Diego Open, during a press conference, Yastremska opened up about how the nights are quite difficult in the country. She stated, “Usually at 1 or 2 AM, they start massive drone attacks. Had to go hide in the parking lot at night 3x that week. Got very little rest.” 

Along with that, she also highlighted that the locals in her hometown are always on their toes, given that a drone strike could occur at any moment. She also mentioned how she was able to get very little sleep, as they would rush in the middle of the night just to save themselves from massive attacks.

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts about Ukraine’s situation? Do let us know in the comment section below.