This week, Marta Kostyuk stirred up the tennis world with baffling remarks about the World No.1 and No.2. The Ukrainian admitted that Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek’s dominance on tour made her feel “diminished,” even suggesting their edge comes from “higher testosterone levels.” She later explained that their bigger, stronger builds might be what truly set them apart in the rankings, but her comments didn’t land well in the tennis community at all. Now, there’s another twist widening the news.

On Friday, October 24, just five days after Kostyuk’s interview in Wuhan, Tennis365 stepped in to clear the air. The outlet insisted her remarks were taken out of context. In a follow-up piece, they explained that the now-viral quotes came from a question asking if Kostyuk felt “intimidated” by Aryna and Swiatek.

When asked, “When you play Sabalenka and Swiatek, how close do you feel you are? What makes them a little better? Their consistency or their mental strength?” Kostyuk replied, “With Iga, when I have played her, I wasn’t ready to play her at all. I played her over a year ago. With Aryna I don’t know, to be honest.” She added, “When I look at these players, I have my own skills, but at the end of the day, they are all much bigger than me, much taller than me, much stronger than me. We all have different biological structures.”

It was this comment by Marta Kostyuk that stood out to fans. For one, Sabalenka, at 1.82 meters, stands tall in every sense: power, presence, and poise. While Swiatek’s 1.76-meter frame still commands space and authority. Kostyuk stands just a little shorter at 1.75 meters, but she wasn’t just talking about height. She meant the form, the force, and the grind that never stops. As she added, “Some have a higher level of testosterone, some have lower. I know players who are good players who have higher levels of it.”

When you take a look at Marta Kostyuk’s 2025 season, her struggles are evident. She stormed into three WTA 1000 quarterfinals in Doha, Madrid, and the Canadian Open, toppling names like Coco Gauff, Emma Raducanu, and Marketa Vondrousova along the way. A wrist injury in Montreal halted her run, but not before she left a strong impression.

At the US Open, the Ukrainian hit a new milestone, reaching the fourth round in New York for the first time after beating Katie Boulter, Zeynep Sonmez, and Diane Parry before bowing out to Karolína Muchova. Right now, her season stands at a 26–20 record and a WTA singles ranking of No. 27. Still, her eyes remain fixed on the summit; determined to climb higher, one hard-earned win at a time.

Understanding that the players at the top are not using different methods to excel, she explained, “It’s just natural, they don’t take anything. I’m sure of that. It’s just the biology of their body. Obviously, that definitely helps. I’m trying to see how I can beat these players with the tennis skills I have, but I have to work more than they have to win the points.”

With the season coming to an end, it’s easy to see why the Ukrainian is looking for ways to improve after a long year on tour. It might just be her view of what separates the elite. On the other hand, the players at the top are also facing their own trouble with the WTA Tour’s mandatory event rules.

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek face ranking points dilemma

The WTA shook things up this week with harsh penalties for players skipping mandatory tournaments. Iga Swiatek lost 65 points, Madison Keys 54, and Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Amanda Anisimova saw 10 points stripped each. The big kicker? Their rankings will be zeroed out, wiping out points from all other tournaments this year. Why such a brutal move? The WTA insists top players must play all four Grand Slams, at least six WTA 500 events, and all ten WTA 1000 tournaments. It sounds demanding because it is.

On this, Swiatek admitted in a China Open press conference that the schedule feels crazy. She said, “For me, like, I don’t know yet how my career is going to look like in a couple of years. Maybe I will have to choose some tournaments and skip them, even though they are mandatory.” She called the rules “pretty crazy” and doubts anyone can hit all six 500 tournaments. Her advice? “We have to be smart… think what’s healthy for us.” Protecting health is the new priority, and the Pole is leaning on her team to manage rest and recovery.

Other stars echoed that fatigue is real. Sabalenka said exhaustion made her skip Beijing and called for tennis chiefs to fix the “crazy” WTA schedule. Coco Gauff is feeling wiped out from nonstop events and pressure, while Anisimova shared on social media that the new rules are “spicy.” Keys missed events because of limits on top-10 player entries. Bottom line: these athletes need rest more than rigid rules.

As the season wraps, tensions are bubbling on the WTA tour. Top players now turn their focus to the WTA Finals, but the schedule backlash is loud. Marta Kostyuk’s remarks about the stars bring some fresh perspective, maybe even paving the way for her own rise in 2026. What do you think?