Trust the process
“I think we are just dealing better with bad days, taking the most out of them and embracing the challenge,” Kostyuk told rolandgarros.com at the US Open, where she began her title bid with a confident 6-4, 6-1 win over Storm Hunter of Australia on Sunday.
“We are being challenged every day, whether in practice or on the match. I would say that before, I would feel like if there is a challenge, something’s wrong, I need to fix something, it shouldn’t be there. But it’s part of life and sports. I think that (change) made a big difference.”
At 24, Kostyuk is still young but is also one of the most experienced players on Tour, having burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old at the Australian Open in 2018 when she qualified for the main draw and reached the third round. Her record in the Grand Slams was not great in the years that followed, but she reached the last 16 in Paris in 2024 and in the past 12 months has added consistency. It has taken time, but things are now coming good.
“I think it’s a combination of things,” she said. “I’ve done a lot of therapy and a lot of self-reflection as well. Just working with the team, their observation, where can I be better, and then also growing up, becoming less emotional. It’s just part of the process as well, I guess.”