Inside Sandra Zaniewska’s coaching strategy powering Kostyuk’s career season

For Marta Kostyuk, she's entering Roland Garros in the strongest form of her career. The Ukrainian has surged from World No. 28 to No. 15 in the PIF WTA Rankings after capturing back-to-back WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz titles over the past three weeks, highlighted by a breakthrough championship run at the Mutua Madrid Open, where she defeated two top 10 players, Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva.

Behind Kostyuk’s rise is her coach, Sandra Zaniewska, who has spent the past three years shaping one of the most exciting upward trajectories in the sport. Kostyuk’s recent momentum began with a title in April at Rouen, France, where she opted to play the Open Capfinances Rouen Metropole 250 event rather than 500-event in Stuttgart, a decision that reflected a broader strategic approach from her team.

"We wanted to play a 250 event for a chance for Marta to play more matches in a row," Zaniewska said of the strategy and long-term vision that have fueled the Ukrainian’s stellar season. "Of course, we never assume she will lose early, but in both Indian Wells and Miami she played Elena Rybakina in the third round, which meant she only got one match in at each event because she had a bye in the opening round.

"Stuttgart is always a very strong tournament, and we didn’t want that possibility again. We simply wanted a better opportunity for her to stay in competition longer. The other reason is that Marta has mostly played 500 and 1000 level tournaments over the past two years, where she is usually the underdog. It’s a different kind of pressure arriving as the top seed, and I wanted her to gain more experience handling that as well."

Kostyuk’s rise into the Top 15 represents another significant milestone in her development, particularly with the advantages it brings in major tournament seedings. For Zaniewska, the focus remains firmly on the bigger picture.

"It’s great for her because the ranking reflects all the work she has put in," Zaniewska said. "But we also try not to pay too much attention to it. We stay focused on the process because we know that if you do the right things consistently, the ranking and the wins will follow naturally.

"We always talk about waiting for things to click. But the click is never waking up one day and suddenly everything works. It’s more of a slow burn, some things improve while others don’t. Then, later the pieces that weren’t working begin to come together too. It’s like building a puzzle week-by-week until eventually many of those pieces are working at the same time. This has been a process with ups-and-downs, and Marta has arrived here through consistent work and commitment."

While Kostyuk’s talent has long been evident, Zaniewska said the biggest transformation has been her ability to sustain elite-level tennis over an entire tournament. 

"For me, it’s her ability to maintain focus during matches and consistency from one match to another over a longer stretch," she said. "Marta always had the ability. The biggest challenge was how she could produce her best tennis over five matches in a tournament, not just one or two."

That consistency was already emerging earlier in January when Kostyuk reached the final of the Brisbane International and has now carried into one of the strongest stretches of her career. After nearly three years together, Zaniewska said the relationship between her and Kostyuk continues to evolve but the dynamic hasn't necessarily changed. 

"We always have a lot of fun together, both on and off the court," Zaniewska said. "When you’re winning, it becomes even more enjoyable because every day is positive, you win every match, so there’s not much to be upset about.

"At the same time, I’ve felt a lot of gratitude for the journey we’ve been on together. I don’t think I’m coaching her differently now, and I don’t think I will. I believe in the process we are following, so we’ll continue on this path and make adjustments along the way if needed."

With Kostyuk's expectations increasing, Zaniewska believes it is equally important to embrace success as it is to move on from it, and Zaniewska made note she's aware of the pressure that can come with success but insists the formula will remain the same ahead of Roland Garros later this month.  

Kostyuk's partnership with Zaniewska has become one of the most compelling player-coach collaborations on tour. Built on patience, trust and a long-term vision, their steady progress is now translating into results at the highest level, and both remain grounded in the same philosophy that sparked Kostyuk’s breakthrough -- focus on the process, embrace the journey and allow success to follow naturally.

"After such a big success, it’s important to give yourself space to experience it fully," Zaniewska said. "We talk about it, about the emotions that still come up from those three weeks of winning. Those emotions deserve space. Once that settles down, we’ll get back to work."

"There’s a risk that bigger expectations could appear at the next tournaments. If that comes up, we’ll deal with it accordingly. Otherwise, we’ll continue doing things the way we have been, because it has clearly worked. We’ll simply stay on the same path."