The incriminated moment occurred after the opening set, which Zanevská won smoothly 6:2. However, the siren test stressed the 29-year-old native of Odessa so much that she had a mental breakdown, started shaking and cried. It took several minutes before she calmed down and was able to continue the match. The remaining sets belonged to the opponent in the ratio of 6:4 and 7:5.
“It was a terrible sound. He said it lasted only twenty seconds, but to me it seemed like an eternity. I haven’t been in Ukraine since February 24 (2022, the day the country was invaded by Russian troops), so I’ve never experienced a siren (announcing an air raid), but this was pure horror. The idea, the fear. I was completely devastated, I couldn’t stop crying. My heart rate soared to around 200,” Zanevská, who represented her native country until 2016, later described her feelings.
The incident visibly upset the 75th player in the WTA rankings, and in the end Volynetsová, eight years younger, whose parents also come from Ukraine, was happy about the progress. “When I stand on the court, I usually forget about the problems (related to the war in Ukraine) and try to focus exclusively on the game. But this hit me hard, at one point I thought I was going to die,” lamented Zanevská.
It is not surprising that, for example, sirens or other news related to the more than a year-long military conflict evoke similar psychological reactions in Ukrainian athletes. In March, the American media reported that tennis player Lesja Curenková did not participate in the match of the 3rd round of the tournament in Indian Wells against the world number two Aryna Sabalenková. As the Ukrainian later admitted, the conversation with the head of the WTA, Steve Simon, was to blame. According to her, the 33-year-old native of Volodymyrce was shocked by what the American Simon told her, and before the match with Belarus, she had a panic attack.
