Ukraine tennis players juggle matches, war raging at home

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — When Ukrainian girls’s tennis participant Katarina Zavatska first realized that Russia had invaded her homeland, she was unable to select up a racket for greater than every week.

Each waking second, she mentioned her ideas had been consumed with the protection of her household again house in Ukraine.

With the Russia-Ukraine Battle now in its seventh week, Zavatska has come to grips with the “guilt” she first felt about about enjoying a recreation whereas her household lived in fixed concern and hazard.

She believes it’s her obligation to maintain enjoying tennis.

“What I can do is to play tournaments to earn cash, to ship it to my household to assist them as a result of no person has a job proper now in my household,” Zavatska said Tuesday. “Everyone is simply house. They don’t have anything to do to earn.”

Zavatska and teammates Dayana Yastremska, and Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok will signify Ukraine this weekend in Asheville, North Carolina in opposition to the third-seeded United States within the qualifying spherical of the Billie Jean King Cup — previously referred to as the Fed Cup and the ladies’s equal to the Davis Cup.

At the start of the struggle, Zavatska made cellphone calls each half-hour, the concern engulfing her whereas she tried to organize for tennis tournaments in the US.

“On daily basis I’m calling to my dad and mom, my household, to ask them in the event that they’re alive,” Zavatska mentioned. “It looks as if very powerful, impolite. Nevertheless it’s true. That is the truth proper now.”

Russia first invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Associated Press on Saturday he’s dedicated to urgent for peace regardless of Russian assaults on civilians. Vadym Boychenko, the mayor of the Ukrainian port metropolis of Mariupol, mentioned Monday that more than 10,000 civilians have died within the Russian siege of his metropolis, and the demise toll may surpass 20,000.

The 22-year-old Zavatska mentioned her father was initially scheduled to journey along with her to tennis tournaments earlier than the struggle started.

That by no means occurred.

As a substitute, his focus shifted to shifting Zavatska’s mom and grandmother and different feminine members of the family to a secure haven in France, the place she rents an condo and trains in the course of the offseason. However he stays in Rivne, Ukraine, together with male family members, to defend the nation.

“For girls to go away with out their man, it’s very powerful,” Zavatska mentioned. “My cousin, for instance, she’s pregnant. I’ve my niece, she’s virtually 5 years outdated. It’s not possible to be alone in this type of scenario as a result of all the boys have to remain.”

Within the meantime, Zavatska is combating her personal psychological battle to stay centered on tennis.

“The primary week (of the struggle) it was powerful to do something,“ Zavatska mentioned. ”Surrounded by individuals who hearken to music, who snicker, who reside, who discuss — it was not possible. I perceive folks must reside, however…”

Ukrainian crew captain Olga Savchuk mentioned most of her household resides underground in a bomb shelter in Ukraine because the struggle rages on.

She described her feelings “past explainable and conceivable.”

“It’s like we reside in two completely different realities,” Savchuk mentioned. “Right here we’re, after all, we’ve to proceed to help our households. (However) generally identical to having meals, I’m fascinated by my grandpa and aunt who’re in bomb shelter now. How I can also have a cup of tea proper now? My household is, like, underground. I’ve goosebumps after I even discuss it.“

On daily basis aside from them, she mentioned, is tough.

However in some methods it has develop into the brand new regular.

“You get up, very first thing you do is test to see if your loved ones is okay, and test the information,“ Savchuk mentioned. ”We do this mainly continuous.“

USA crew captain Kathy Rinaldi mentioned the People try to make the Ukrainian crew really feel as comfy as attainable this week in Asheville.

The groups have deliberate a dinner collectively Wednesday evening.

In the meantime, 10% of the ticket income for the weekend is being donated to the Ukraine Disaster Aid Fund by World Giving via the “Tennis Gamers for Peace” initiative. Billie Jean King, who will attend Friday’s matches, and her accomplice Ilana Kloss are additionally donating $50,000 to the Ukraine Aid, and different native sponsors in Asheville are additionally making donations.

“If you take a look at tennis, we’re actually a real household,” Rinaldi mentioned. “We come collectively when issues are powerful. … We’re opponents on the courtroom, however we’re allies and pals off the courtroom. We actually do look after one another and we pull collectively when instances get powerful.”

The Ukrainian girls have mentioned that being on the tennis courtroom has served a brief psychological reprieve from the truth of what’s taking place again house — the assaults, the bombs and the killing.

However as soon as they go away the courtroom, they’re again on their telephones once more — calling house and checking on household.

Zavatska and Savchuk mentioned that whereas they might like to win this weekend and advance to the Billie Jean King Cup finals and supply some inspiration and delight to the Ukrainian folks, each agreed that they’d commerce a victory for peace again house.

“With out even pondering,” Savchuk mentioned, shaking her head. ”With out even pondering.“

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Extra AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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