‘Unbelievably Strong’ – Chris Evert Moved by Marta Kostyuk’s Tearful Admission About Family Scare at French Open

Marta Kostyuk arrived at the 2026 French Open playing some of the best tennis of her life. The 23-year-old Ukrainian just won her biggest title at the Madrid Open, beating Mirra Andreeva, and looked ready for a deep run in Paris. But just hours before her first match, tennis took a backseat to a life-or-death crisis involving her family in Ukraine. She spoke about it in her presser, and former world No. 1 Chris Evert offered her support.

Marta Kostyuk’s Horrifying Ukraine Confession Earns Chris Evert’s Praise

At 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, just hours before she was scheduled to play, Kostyuk received a chilling photograph on her phone. The image showed a burning high-rise building that a missile had struck. The building was just 100 meters from her parents’ home, where her mother, sister, and an elderly relative were inside.

Despite the shock and fear, Kostyuk had to step onto Court Simonne-Mathieu for her first-round match against her Russian-born Spanish opponent, Oksana Selekhmeteva, which she won 6-2, 6-3 in just 78 minutes.

Kostyuk’s willingness to play despite such distress and still win on a Grand Slam stage caught the attention of the 18-time major champion Chris Evert. “She is unbelievably strong,” Evert wrote on X, reposting Kostyuk’s press conference clip. “Not many could play a match after hearing that…”

“I’m incredibly proud of myself today. I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career. This morning, 100 meters from my parent’s house, the missile destroyed the building. It was a very difficult morning,” Kostyuk shared in her on-court interview.

In the post-match press conference, where she held up the terrifying photo for reporters to see, Kostyuk shared the psychological toll of those hours:

“I have this pic of my parent’s house and everything around it… this is what I received at 8am. I had to deal with it, go out and play. I felt sick just from a thought that if it was 100m closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mom and a sister today.”

Following the victory, Kostyuk still adhered to her strict protocol that has defined the sport’s underlying political tension for over two years: not shaking her opponent’s hand. Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Ukrainian players have firmly refused to participate in the traditional post-match handshake with Russian and Belarusian athletes.

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As she advances through the Roland Garros draw, Kostyuk will face American Katie Volynets in the second round on Wednesday.