Marta Kostyuk ecstatic about playing doubles with Rafael Nadal ahead of the Australian Open 2023

Marta Kostyuk recently reacted to playing doubles with tennis legend Rafael Nadal at a charity event called 'Tennis Plays for Peace'.

The Australian Open organized the event to bring together the tennis community and fans to support humanitarian relief efforts in war-torn Ukraine. The star-studded lineup included Nadal, Coco Gauff, Frances Tiafoe, Andy Murray, Alexander Zverev, Maria Sakkari, Grigor Dimitrov, Alex de Minaur, Ukrainian tennis stars Kostyuk and Dayana Yastremska.

Nadal competed for the Blue team alongside Maria Sakkari and Kostyuk against Alex de Minaur, Grigor Dimitrov, and Dayana Yastremska of the Yellow team. Kostyuk and the 22-time Grand Slam champion appeared to be having a great time together as they went all out and played their best tennis.

The Ukrainian clearly couldn't get enough of playing doubles with the Spaniard and took to Instagram stories to express how her dream had come true, writing:

"Dreams do come true."

Marta Kostyuk via Instagram stories.

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"I think I’m in good shape" - Rafael Nadal ahead of defending his Australian Open title

Rafael Nadal pictured at the Tennis Plays for Peace.

Rafael Nadal will head into the 2023 Australian Open to defend his title as the top seed due to World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz's withdrawal from the tournament. The Mallorcan has also had a rough start to the season, suffering back-to-back defeats in the 2023 United Cup.

In light of this, the two-time Australian Open champion stated in a recent interview that he hasn't been able to play up to the mark in the last few days. However, he believes he is in "good shape" as he prepares to begin his campaign in Melbourne.

"It’s true that the last couple of tournaments I wasn’t able to play my standards and here at the beginning of the season I lost two matches in Sydney, but honestly, I am not unhappy with the preparation," he said.

"I think I’m in good shape. You need to demonstrate that in matches, but I’m confident that if I am able to have this last week of positive practice, why not?" he added.

The Spaniard also confessed that after becoming a father, he has had to make certain changes in his life.

"You need a little bit more organization than before without a doubt. But it’s the first time that happens in my life. So I need some time to adjust all the things that are going to help me to stay the same as before, but I think I have all the things around me that help me to keep going without problems," he said.