"She’s basically a child whose country has been invaded" - Tennis fans defend Marta Kostyuk from criticism over 'we are at war' comments

Tennis fans have risen to defend Marta Kostyuk against the criticism she is facing for her “we are at war” comments. They sympathized with the Ukrainian, saying she was only a child whose country had been invaded.

The locker room drama over Russia’s war on Ukraine continued as Kostyuk declined to shake hands with Russian opponent Anastasia Potapova at the 2023 Miami Open.

Earlier, she had responded to Aryna Sabalenka’s claims of facing “hate” in the locker room.

“Obviously, there is tension – we’re not friends. We are at war at the moment,” Kostyuk had said.

Sabalenka had spoken ahead of the Miami Open about the atmosphere she encounters in locker rooms during tournaments.

"It was really tough for me because I’ve never faced that much hate in the locker room. There are a lot of haters on Instagram when you’re losing matches, but in the locker room, I’ve never faced that," the Russian player said. "It was really tough to understand that there’s so many people who hate me for no reason. I did nothing."

In response to Kostyuk's comments, some fans took to Twitter and criticized the Ukrainian player over her actions. These fans opined that the 20-year-old is competing for money and points, travelling all around the globe, and not on the front lines.

“She’s traveling from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to California and Miami, all around the globe competing for prize money/points and still has a 'we’re at war' mentality like she’s a part of the people literally in combat boots on the front lines? Idk. It just doesn’t read that well,” wrote one account.

The comments instigated other tennis fans who rose up in the Ukrainian’s defense, stating that the critical comments were “embarrassing.” They also said that the tennis player's comments are “understandable.”

“She’s basically a child whose country has been invaded. Boys her age, people she went to school with, are dying on the front line. Maybe it’s not 'rational' that she’s angry at the Russian/Belorussian players, but it’s certainly understandable,” wrote one fan in Kostyuk’s defense.

Here are others who backed the World No. 38.

“No reply, nothing, just silence” - Marta Kostyuk says the WTA has ignored Ukrainian players’ request for a meeting

Marta Kostyuk says Ukrainians want a meeting with WTA

War-related tensions in women’s tennis are increasing day by day. Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Anastasia Potapova after losing in their 2023 Miami Open clash.

The 20-year-old also refused to shake hands, click pictures, or have a shared trophy presentation with Russian Varvara Gracheva at the ATX Open in Austin.

"Yes, we wanted to have the meeting with the board, and we didn't get one. No reply, nothing, just silence," the World No. 38 told reporters.

"I mean, once we're in the meeting we can talk about it. Before the meeting, I don't think it's a good idea to talk about what we want to talk about there," Marta Kostyuk added.

Marta Kostyuk’s compatriot Lesia Tsurenko had also said that the Ukrainians asked for a meeting with the WTA. Her comments came after she pulled out of her 2023 Indian Wells clash against Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka.