“I am not only the captain of the national team, but also the director of a large tennis club in Ukraine. And I can explain very simply what is happening with our tennis at the moment. In order to ensure the training process and hold tournaments, we had to build a ball shelter in the club,” informed Mihail Filima at the press conference. “As soon as the air alert starts, everything stops – classes, matches… Everyone has to go to the shelter. These are not only the requirements of the authorities, they are the requirements of the present Ukraine. In Kiev, the siren sounds several times a week, often several times a day. It is dangerous . In such a situation it is very difficult to concentrate on tennis.”
11.-12. In November, the Ukrainian women’s national team will play a home game in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, against the Netherlands in the Billie Jean King Cup. Ukraine will be represented by Angelina Kalinin (WTA 27th), Dayana Jastremska (#106) and Katarina Zavacka (#154), as well as doubles specialists, sisters Ludmila Kichenok and Nadya Kichenok.
“I think that we, Ukrainian tennis players, could play this match in Ukraine, but it would be too scary for other countries,” says Diana Jastremska, former world No. 21, from Odessa. “In Odessa, alarms sound late at night or at dawn – there is no question of full sleep and rest. I can’t imagine how you could train in such conditions, when it is impossible to sleep, when you constantly feel a threat to your life, when you have to stop training and go to shelter. So we come home for a few days to see our loved ones and leave again. Coming home, in this oppressive atmosphere, the emotions are heavy. Then it takes several days to recover and get back into the ranks.”
“I know that lately the world is starting to forget the horrors that are happening in Ukraine. Therefore, my position is that we should use every opportunity to remind people about the war,” admits Jastremska, who is coached by Latvian specialist Mārcis Garuts.
In the Billie Jean King Cup, Ukraine is one level above Latvia and will fight for qualification for the final tournament in November.
Resources used:
btu.org.ua
utf.tennis
2023-11-09 22:55:00
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