Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk used her runner-up speech at the Brisbane International on 11 January to describe the winter crisis facing her country, where temperatures have plunged to -20°C and Russian strikes have left millions without power or heating.
Her words were not abstract. Three days earlier, Russia launched one of its largest attacks on Kyiv since the invasion began — 36 missiles, 242 drones — leaving half of all apartment blocks in the capital without heat.
The trophy ceremony
Kostyuk lost Sunday's final to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in straight sets. As is customary, the Belarusian offered her hand after the match. Kostyuk, like many Ukrainian players since Russia's 2022 invasion, declined, Japan Times reported.
At the trophy presentation — normally reserved for thanking sponsors and congratulating opponents — the 23-year-old spoke about home.
"I play every day with a pain in my heart and there are thousands of people who are without light and warm water right now," she said, her voice breaking. "It's minus 20 degrees outside, and it's very painful to live this reality every day."
"A conscious choice"
Some Instagram users accused Kostyuk of poor sportsmanship. She responded directly.
"The words I shared after the match sparked a lot of reaction," she wrote. "For me, it's a conscious choice to keep reminding people of what Ukraine and its citizens are going through."
The phrase matters. Not an emotional outburst. Not a breach of decorum. A conscious choice.
Ukrainian athletes have faced this tension since the invasion began — competing in a world where sports conventions assume neutrality between nations, while representing a country under bombardment. Russia has killed at least 644 members of the Ukrainian sports community since 2022, with 799 sports facilities damaged and 180 destroyed.
What Kostyuk was describing
The conditions Kostyuk cited were, if anything, understated. The week before her final, Russia deliberately waited for temperatures to drop below -15°C before launching its massive strike on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, according to Ukrainian officials — using cold weather as a weapon.
