Kostyuk has made quite a splash on the WTA Tour (Picture: Getty)

Many pursuing a career in tennis will fall short of young Marta Kostyuk’s achievements, despite her tender age of 15.

The Ukrainian has made quite a splash on the WTA Tour this season, climbing almost 400 spots in the rankings, and at the Madrid Open she made her third main draw appearance at the top level of women’s tennis.

Even in defeat at the Caja Magica, Kostyuk made a little piece of history – becoming the youngest player to compete in the Spanish capital – but there’s a sense that this is merely the beginning of a long, winding journey to stardom.



A spirited loss to home favourite Lara Arruabarrena brought an end to her brief time in Madrid, but there were more than passing glimpses of a player who may well be destined for greatness.


A big serve, fierce groundstrokes and, yet, a delicate touch – Kostyuk has every physical tool in her locker required to thrive at the top level. And when sitting down with Metro.co.uk, she showcased signs of a philosophical outlook that’s needed to succeed in the lonely world of tennis.

‘It’s ok sometimes to lose in the first round,’ she reflected after the 3-6 6-4 2-6 defeat. ‘It’s not like something really bad happens. It’s just another match, another great match on the centre court.

Kostyuk was beaten in Madrid (Picture: Getty)

‘I’m really happy I got the wildcard here. For these moments you actually just play tennis, even though I lose, I’ve always dreamed of playing on the centre court.

‘Every time I come, a tournament gives me an opportunity to play on the big courts – it’s nice. I was watching Madrid on the TV always, it’s a very nice tournament and I always wanted to play here so I feel very proud of myself that I got here so early.’

Early, indeed. For perspective, British No. 1 Johanna Konta – a player who has peaked at No. 4 in the WTA rankings – made her first appearance at the Caja Magica aged 24. Before Kostyuk’s debut on Saturday, the youngest player to feature in Madrid was 17.

Youngest players to compete at the Madrid Open 2018: 15 years, 318 days – Kostyuk

2014: 17 years, 62 days – Bencic

2015: 17 years, 175 days – Gibert

2009: 17 years, 319 days – Pavlyuchenkova

While the majority of the players in Madrid will continue their preparations for the French Open, Kostyuk must return to her home city of Kiev as she completes her time in education.

‘I have my last year,’ she added. ‘I’m about to come back to Kiev before Paris and finish school and then yes, I’m a free bird.’

Her favourite subject?

‘When I was in regular school I really liked mathematics, my whole family on my mum’s side are mathematicians so it’s kind of in my blood,’ she smiled. ‘I was doing it so much in my whole life. I also enjoyed history – it’s also interesting.’

Maths may well be in her blood, but tennis also flows through the veins of the world No. 134.

Who is Mara Kostyuk? Age: 15

Born: Kiev, Ukraine

Ranking: 134

Her mother, Talina Benko – who is one of her two coaches – competed for Ukraine in the 90s, her father was a technical director at a junior tournament, while her uncle Taras Beyko represented the USSR and Ukraine in the 80s and early 90s.



The biggest influence in her career remains her mum, who provided on-court coaching for the 15-year-old during her defeat in Madrid.

‘She was working quite a lot when I was small and I liked what she was doing,’ she said. ‘She was just the one who was inspiring me.’

Kostyuk is no doubt an inspiration to other youngsters hoping to grasp the opportunity of a breakthrough onto the WTA Tour.

She made headlines as she stormed through qualifying of the Australian Open at the start of the year, becoming the youngest player since Martina Hingis in 1996 to reach the third round at Melbourne Park.

Kostyuk surprised the world in Australia (Picture: Getty)

Quite the achievement. Though, her nonchalant reflections on those efforts give some indication that she is expecting more in the future.

‘I play so many matches and so many tournaments, even though that one was really memorable for me I still don’t remember all of that,’ she said.

‘You have this feeling after winning maybe five minutes after the match. Maybe if I win the Australian Open, maybe I would feel something. But it’s like always you win and then already you prepare for the next match.’

Kostyuk enjoyed a similar run in Stuttgart and already has two top-30 wins under her belt, but despite her success, life on the road away from home hasn’t always been easy – particularly at such a young age.

‘I left home for a long time last year,’ she added. ‘I left in September and came back in middle of December so I wasn’t home for a long time and that was really, really tough. Mentally, very tough.

Life on the road hasn’t always been easy for the youngster (Picture: Getty)

‘The last time I was home was after Australia for just five days at the beginning of February so that was a long time ago.


‘When I’m in Kiev I’m busy from eight in the morning to eight in the evening so I don’t really have time to be at home, which I really like just to stay at home. It’s not just that I’m coming to Kiev but I’m going to my house, you know?

‘You get used to it. Sometimes, for me, it’s tough to come back. So I’d better stay one month more, than come back!

‘I don’t know, you have a lot of responsibilities already in your life, which is already a very big pressure. It’s tough but I manage.’

Negotiating life on tour will no doubt be a challenge, but Kostyuk’s level-headed and open approach should stand her in good stead.

We should certainly expect her to become a familiar face in the world of tennis.