Tennis News Roundup: Marta Kostyuk sparks outrage after 'transphobic' comments on Iga Swiatek & Aryna Sabalenka; Holger Rune's mother furious at ATP after son's horror injury

Former American pro Andy Roddick was in support of players speaking up against a hectic tennis schedule after Holger Rune became the latest victim of a concerning injury amid a very long 2025 season. Iga Swiatek was blown away by Taylor Swift's gesture, as the singer-songwriter sent her a personalized note and a record of her latest album, 'The Life Of A Showgirl.'

On that note, let us take a look at some of the top stories of the day:

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#1. Marta Kostyuk's controversial claims on Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek draw fan criticism

Marta Kostyuk recently had a few things to say about Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek's physiques, which some fans thought were inappropriate. In an interview with Tennis365, Kostyuk said,

"They are all much bigger than me, much taller than me, much stronger than me. I feel smaller than them. I try to see how I can beat these players with the tennis skills I have, but I have to work harder to win the points."

The Ukrainian further added that these players also have a 'higher testosterone level', which allegedly gives them an upper hand in matches. Tennis fans shared their disapproval of the statement on X (formerly Twitter) and condemned Kostyuk's claims.

"This is like low key transphobic idk," posted a fan. "she almost transvestigated aryna and iga," a fan wrote.

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#2. Holger Rune's mother speaks about ATP's schedule

Holger Rune's mother, Aneke, did not hold back as she called out ATP for treating players poorly and 'punishing' them with a busy schedule. These statements came after the Dane suffered an Achilles injury at the Nordic Open in Stockholm and had to end his season prematurely.

Rune's mother spoke to Danish newspaper BT and said that APT's hectic schedule has played a significant part in the Dane's current condition. She also gave insights on how players face a penalty when not taking part in an event and said,

"These are old-fashioned punishment methods, and they have no place in 2025. There are unreasonable penalties for a cancellation, you should instead focus on increasing the quality of the game by having fresh and rested players on the field...Now Holger is the latest victim in the line of injured players. With an injury that most often comes due to fatigue."

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#3. Alexander Zverev makes bold claims on defeating Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz with odd 'drug' remark

Alexander Zverev has been in controversy for alleging that tournament directors were making slow courts to favor Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. However, he took it up a notch by claiming that they are easily defeatable by him, while also making a remark on drug use.

In an interview with BILD, the German, while talking about his fluctuating level that dethroned him from the No. 2 spot in the ATP ranking, said,

"I know I can beat Carlos and Jannik. I have to regain my confidence and believe I can get back to that level. Unfortunately, there's no magic pill you can take that will make you 100 percent. Or if there is, it's illegal."

Zverev is currently competing at the Vienna Open and has defeated Jacob Fearnley in the first round to set up a match with Matteo Arnaldi.

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#4. Marketa Vondrousova refutes Karolina Pliskova's Tokyo injury accusation

Marketa Vondrousova called out Karolina Pliskova after she accused Vondrousova of 'giving up' as she retired from her match against Karolina Muchova at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Speaking on the Czech podcast, Rackety, Pliskova claimed that Vondrousova retired because she had no chance of winning.

"Maybe Marketa was hurt, but I think that Marketa saw that she had no chance and gave up the match for this reason," she said.

Vondrousova did not hesitate to dismiss Pliskova's claims through an Instagram story and wrote,

"Anyone who has ever played with an injury knows that sometimes you just can't go on. I'm doubly aware of this after shoulder surgery. I don't understand why someone who should understand it the most is questioning this."

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#5. Jannik Sinner draws criticism from former Italian pro for missing Davis Cup

Former ATP pro Nicola Pietrangeli expressed his displeasure with Jannik Sinner as the Italian announced that he wouldn't be taking part in the Davis Cup this year, scheduled to be held in November. Sinner was a part of the squad in 2023 and 2024 and helped them to victory on both instances.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Pietrangeli was unhappy with Sinner's choice and told media outlet ANSA,

"It’s a huge slap in the face for Italian sport. I don't understand when he mentions a difficult choice. He has to play tennis, not go to war. When it comes to the Davis Cup, I get annoyed because a player's objective should be to wear the Italian jersey. But unfortunately, I'm speaking from another era."

Pietrangeli also claimed that he understands the process, as he was also in the same spot as Sinner during his pro career.

Edited by Tushhita Barua