Wimbledon 2026: How Gauff, Kostyuk, Muchova and Noskova have found their feet on grass

Kostyuk was one of the leading players on clay courts and captured two consecutive titles before reaching the French Open semifinals.

The 24-year-old did not participate in a tournament before Wimbledon, instead returning to Ukraine and holidaying in Greece.

While he said he was optimistic about transferring his clay form to grass, he had not won on the surface for two years going into this year’s championship.

“I think I’ve performed terribly throughout the years I’ve played here,” Kostyuk said.

“I couldn’t find my tennis on this surface, in any tournament. It was a really complicated relationship for me.”

When Kostyuk arrived in London almost three weeks ago, he was still unconvinced.

Losing practice sets to 44-year-old Serena Williams and Jessica Pegula didn’t boost her confidence, but coach Sandra Zaniewska’s words did.

“I turned to Sandra and said: ‘Can you please tell me honestly now if the grass is suitable for my game?’ “100%,” Kostyuk said.

“That gave me something to hold on to.”