As fate would have it, in the second round of Wimbledon, two Ukrainian tennis players met. Lesia Tsurenko and Anhelina Kalinina met in the court 12 of the All England Club, where Ukrainian flags appeared in the stands, and the result was the least important of a party that brought together two representatives of the millions of Ukrainians who have been away from home for months because of the war.
Still, there was a result. Tsurenko beat Kalinina in three sets and qualified for the third round of Wimbledon, something that doesn’t even have the same meaning these days. “What is happening in Ukraine is just horrible. I feel terrible. I feel very guilty. It seems there is nothing I can do.” said the 33-year-old tennis player after the match in which she wore a blue and yellow ribbon, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, next to her chest. A show of support that is only possible because the organization of the British Grand Slam has made an exception to the strict rule that all athletes have to wear an all-white kit.
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At the press conference, Lesia Tsurenko mainly referred to the recent bomb attack on a shopping center in Kremenchuk. “My physical trainer is from this city. His mother-in-law works at that mall… She was off duty. He and his father were not far from the scene, he still got hit in the head.” said the tennis player, who did not fail to emphasize that she has received “fantastic support” since she arrived in London. “Today, on the way from the hotel to the tournament, we had a driver who received two Ukrainians at home. It is fantastic how people are helping Ukrainians so much, ”added the athlete, who has already guaranteed that she will donate 10% of the prize money from Wimbledon to organizations that support all those affected by the conflict.
Tsurenko will continue to play. But Kalinina, also eliminated from the singles tournament. The Ukrainian tennis player, who earlier this week said that she was going to use the prize money to rebuild the family home that was destroyed in a bombing, he will stay in London and take part in the doubles tournament. After all, there is nowhere to go: He hasn’t been home since the week before the Russian invasion began, at the end of February, and has been jumping from competition to competition with his suitcase on his back. “We pray for peace, but we cannot even imagine when we will be able to return home. I walk like everyone else, jumping from tournament to tournament,” said the 25-year-old athlete.
Source: Observadora
