Ukrainian tennis star Marta Kostyuk finds joy in Madrid blackout

The publication contacted two Ukrainian tennis players, Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina, who were supposed to take the court on April 28 when parts of Spain, Portugal, and France experienced a power outage.

As a result, the organizers of the tennis tournament in Madrid decided to cancel all matches scheduled for that day.

Kostuyk shared how she found out about the blackout that occurred about two hours before her match.

"Honestly, a funny story happened to me," she said.
"There are a lot of different buildings here, and I went to the hall where our locker rooms are located. I arrived — and the screens were off, no lights. I thought: why did they turn everything off? I wanted to check the scores — no connection. Finally, the scoreboard loaded, and I saw that matches were suspended."

"I couldn't understand anything because I had just finished warming up, and everything was fine. Then, when I entered another building and saw complete darkness, I realized there was a power outage."

"Actually, the atmosphere here is cheerful," she added.

"We were sitting in the restaurant by candlelight — it was very romantic. Then we went to the gym, where we just lay down and relaxed. It's a very interesting feeling: you're lying there constantly thinking that the power could come back at any moment."

"Yesterday was a very intense day for me, so honestly, I'm even glad I had a day of rest," Kostyuk said.

"Tomorrow, with fresh energy, I'll be ready for my match. Of course, if the lights come back on (laughs)."

The tournament organizers have scheduled a full day of matches at the Caja Magica courts for April 29. The matches with Ukrainian players are expected to take place in the evening.

Earlier, Kostyuk defeated a Russian player in a tough match and reached the round of 16 in Madrid for the first time.