‘They have to live with this…’ - Marta Kostyuk blasts Russian players over Ukraine war silence at French Open
Ukrainian tennis star Marta Kostyuk has criticised Russian players over their silence on the Ukraine war after reaching the semi-finals of the French Open.
Kostyuk defeated compatriot Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in a thrilling quarter-final match on Tuesday afternoon at Roland Garros.
She is the first Ukrainian player to reach a Grand Slam semi-final in the Open era, and has won all 17 of her matches on clay so far in 2026.
Kostyuk, who is 15th in the WTA rankings, takes on Russia's Mirra Andreeva in the semi-final.
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Andreeva, 19, dispatched the 18th seed Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3 in a dominant display to kick off Tuesday's action.
It is the second time she has reached the last four of a Grand Slam, having done so at the 2024 French Open.
Andreeva is among the players who have to play under a neutral flag, with players from Russia and Belarus - who haven't switched nationalities - falling under the same umbrella.
At least 10 players have switched their nationality from Russia since 2022, including Anastasia Potapova, who reached the fourth round at Roland Garros and now represents Austria.
After being knocked out of Wimbledon last year, Andreeva - who lives in Cannes, France - was asked about the Ukraine war and replied that she was 'in favour of peace'.
"When I play tennis, I focus only on that," she said. "I don't think about anything else. I try to improve every day and enjoy my life.
"I can say I am in favour of peace, and I hope everything will be resolved soon."
Kostyuk calls out Russian tennis stars
In her on-court interview on Tuesday after beating Svitolina, Kostyuk paid tribute to the 'Ukrainian people and to their resilience'.
During her post-match press conference, Kostyuk was asked whether she found it 'frustrating' when Russian players on the WTA tour deflect questions surrounding the Ukraine war.
"For me, it's not frustrating anymore," she replied. "They're all grown-ups.
"They have phones, they have Instagram, they have news, they are clearly aware of what's going on.
"This is something they want to avoid talking about. They have to live with this, not me.
"I wish there was some more clear stance on what's going on. Especially when your country is killing other people.
"I don't know how you can sleep at night peacefully when you know this is going on and you have nothing to say about."
Kostyuk was also asked whether she understood why some players could be worried about speaking out, due to potential repercussions in Russia.
She cited the case of fellow tennis star Daria Kasatkina, who condemned the war on Ukraine and came out as gay during an interview in 2022.
Last year, she was granted permanent residency in Australia and switched nationality.
"Listen, I know some people have left Russia the moment the war began," Kostyuk said. "Who have sold all of their business, who have left everything behind, because they just don't agree with what their country is doing to other people. And this is their way of protesting it.
"So they basically just leave and either start their new life somewhere, or publicly condemn it [the war]. There is a lot of public figures in Russia who have done it, and obviously they have no way to come back at this point. Maybe in the future, I don't know.
"So there is a way, if you don't agree, to kind of not live there. You just don't agree with it, and that's it.
"In this setting [professional tennis], we travel the whole year. If you think about it, if you really don't agree with it, there is a lot of ways to avoid it - to avoid living in Russia.
"We have the greatest example: Daria Kasatkina. I know that when she spoke about it publicly, people were coming to her parents' apartment and scaring them, and stuff like this.
"But it didn't stop her from changing nationality, from moving out... I don't think she lived in Russia anyways, but the majority of players don't live in Russia.
"There is nothing stopping you, if this is something you don't believe in. And clearly they are not thinking like this. And I think they've made it very clear whose side they're on. This is their burden to carry. This is what they live with, not me."
Ryan Smart