Sabalenka and Kostyuk continue tense rivalry in post-final action – Tennis Now
By Richard Pagliaro Sunday, January 11, 2026
Image Source: Brisbane International Facebook
Actions speak louder than words.
Both words and actions have intensified the fierce competition between the two sides. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Marta Kostyuk This follows top seed Sabalenka’s victory in the Brisbane final.
The atmosphere between the two sides was cold after the final.
Ukraine’s Kostyuk continued the tradition of Ukrainian players refusing to shake hands with Belarusian and Russian players after games in protest of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of her homeland.
Sabalenka kissed her biceps after sweeping 6-4, 6-3 to claim her second straight Brisbane title, apparently taking a dig at Kostyuk’s reported comments that some stars have high testosterone levels.
During the award ceremony, Kostyuk did not mention Sabalenka’s name, but instead praised the spirit and pride of her fellow Ukrainians and the pain she felt seeing her homeland suffer.
“I would like to say a few words about Ukraine,” Kostyuk said. “I play with the pain in my heart every day. There are thousands of people now without light and hot water, and it’s minus 20 degrees outside right now, so it’s very, very painful to live with this reality every day.”
“I am very touched and happy to see so many Ukrainian fans and flags here this week – Slava Ukraini.”
Asked about the lack of handshakes after the match, Sabalenka congratulated Kostyuk in her speech and expressed hope they would face off again, but said it didn’t bother her.
The world number one said she is focused on playing tennis and not getting involved in politics.
“Well, that’s their position. That’s their position. What can I do?” Sabalenka told media in Brisbane. “I don’t mind this. I don’t care about this. I don’t mind this.”
“When I compete, it’s all about tennis and sports. When I’m on the court, I think about my tennis and what I have to do to win. Whether it’s Marta Kostyuk or Jessica Pegula there. I’m still going to go out there, I’m still going to do my best, I’m still going to compete for the trophy. I have nothing to prove. I go out there and I just compete as an athlete.”
Kostyuk said in her post-match press conference that her stance is simple: She has a public platform and believes she must use it to publicize the pain and suffering happening in her home country.
“I just learned from the war and everything that’s going on, it’s so important to take a stand and talk about it, whether it’s a war, whether it’s another faith, whether it’s your stance,” Kostyuk said. “Whatever it is, if it’s something you believe in, you have to talk about it.
“I think it’s also very important to me personally because, as I said in court, my house, like the house my parents live in, has heating, like they have generators, so even if the power goes out, they can still push the electricity, so they can still heat the house, but it’s still cold inside. Like my husband’s parents were walking around the house with jackets on because of how cold it was.
“So, you know, I’m here, I do my job, and of course, that’s the most important thing, but at the same time, the reality back home is very, very different. So I feel like I can’t ignore it, I have to share it. I have a platform, I have a voice.”
