When war broke out in Ukraine, Doris Gagné immediately thought of the 2017 International Junior Tennis Champion. She was the one who hosted Marta Kostyuk, a Ukrainian player, when she won the Repentigny tournament.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
“It was an extraordinary experience,” says Doris Gagné, who still keeps in touch with the Kostyuk family. Marta Kostyuk has lived in Monaco for a little over a year, but several of her relatives are still in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
“It must be so difficult for her to concentrate with what is happening in her country,” said Doris Gagné, who occasionally corresponds with Talyna Kostyuk, Marta’s mother. She was also staying with Mr.me Won, in 2017, since she was training her daughter. After the outbreak of war, Talyna took refuge in Monaco too.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Doris Gagne
Marta Kostyuk showed up in Repentigny five years ago as one of the tournament headliners. She had won the Australian Junior Open a few months earlier. “I knew she was a seed, but I never imagined she would go this far,” recalls Mme Won. She was always winning! It was such a beautiful show. It was very exciting. »
Photo Manu Fernandez, Associated Press archives
Marta Kostyuk at the Madrid tournament on 1er last may
All week, Doris Gagné cooked pancakes with Quebec maple syrup at the request of the Ukrainian player. She also baked a cake for Talyna’s birthday. “I wasn’t sure if it was a tradition in Ukraine, but in the evening, when ‘we’ finished playing, we had a little party at home. We put candles on the cake and we sang “happy birthday” to it. »
Doris Gagné gave the birthday girl a blouse. Talyna gave him a bell in the colors of Ukraine in exchange. The gift is still on display in a cabinet in the M salon.me Won.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Doris Gagné shows the bell in the colors of Ukraine that she received.
Doris Gagné speaks to the “we” because she feels that she has formed a team with the Kostyuk duo. “I didn’t miss a single one of Marta’s games until Sunday. I am a real tennis fan,” she explains.
When Marta snatched the junior title, the teenager addressed the spectators watching the final. She said she wanted to be among the best players in the world and felt proud to add her name to Repentigny’s list of winners. The athlete, who is currently 66e in the WTA rankings, also took a moment to thank Doris Gagné.
“She thanked me in front of everyone in the stadium,” says the retiree, still moved. “She said how well she was received, that I had been a family to her and that she would never forget me. »
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, Doris Gagné has been praying for the Kostyuk family to stay safe. And she, too, will never forget Marta and Talyna.