CNN
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With its strawberries and cream, grassy slopes, and peaceable setting in a leafy a part of London, Wimbledon is a world away from Ukraine, the place the bombs nonetheless fall 4 months after Russia invaded.
For the Ukrainians competing at SW19, nevertheless, the struggle by no means actually leaves them.
On Wednesday, Anhelina Kalinina will face Lesia Tsurenko in an all-Ukrainian second-round match they hope can draw consideration to the continued plight of their nation.
Since Russia started its struggle in Ukraine in February, tens of millions of refugees have fled Ukraine to neighboring nations, and for Kalinina, her household is among the many uprooted.
She confirmed to reporters on Monday that her dad and mom’ dwelling within the Kyiv suburb of Irpin had been bombed, saying “they’re alive, they’re secure” however “residing on the luggage and praying each day.”
“There are big holes in the home, like big holes,” she stated, earlier than revealing the household had been now residing together with her and her husband.
“It’s a really small house for my household, as a result of, like, my mum, my dad, my brother, they usually have pets.
“They’re so completely happy, and we’re grateful … that they’ve a spot to maneuver from Irpin metropolis as a result of Irpin is totally bombed.”
“I’m serving to so much my grandmother and grandfather who’re in occupied territory now,” she added.
“They’ll’t depart. So subsequent door is like Russian troopers with all their army stuff.”
After Kalinina defeated Anna Bondar 4-6 6-2 6-4 within the first spherical, she secured £78,000 ($96,000) to assist her household. A win within the second-round would yield a complete of £120,000 ($147,000).
“I perceive it’s arduous to focus, however for me it issues if I win or if I lose,” Kalinina stated.
“In the event you go additional, you earn extra money. Then I’m capable of assist, and I’m serving to as a lot as I can and never solely to my household. So for me that issues.”
Her opponent on Wednesday, Tsurenko, has been working with a psychologist to navigate the trauma attributable to the struggle.
Whereas Tsurenko’s mom continues to reside within the south of Ukraine, her sister now lives in Italy close to her having lived by three months of the struggle in Ukraine.
“I don’t really feel good,” she instructed reporters. “I really feel actually nervous, particularly as a result of I do know that they’re attempting to get the one object, which is 100 meters away from my dwelling, from the constructing the place I dwell.
“When the struggle began, I begin to really feel this rigidity inside me … This sense, this rigidity will solely be launched when the struggle will end. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
In earlier grand slams this yr, Tsurenko was drawn in opposition to the eventual event champion within the opening spherical – Ashleigh Barty on the Australian Open and Iga Swiatek on the French Open.
At Wimbledon, nevertheless, Tsurenko acquired a extra favorable first-round opponent and dispatched Britain’s Jodie Burridge in a 6-2 6-2 victory.
Like Kalinina, her motivation to proceed enjoying tennis stems from utilizing her platform to assist her nation.
“I feel with all of the sportsmen which can be ready to participate within the competitions, additionally with all of the singers that go to Poland, to Germany, and having all of the concert events, that half when Ukrainians can simply go and remind the entire world that we’re right here, we nonetheless have struggle and we’d like your assist,” she stated.
“That is the primary factor that I’d want to occur, that we get plenty of heavy weapons. We simply need to remind [people] that Ukraine is in hassle and we’d like assist.”
On the identical day as Tsurenko’s first match at Wimbledon, the struggle spilled out of the entrance line as soon as once more as a Russian airstrike struck a shopping center in Kremenchuk, central Ukraine, killing not less than 18 individuals.
The tennis participant stated the hardest half for her was that she knew individuals on the entrance line.
“One man has been taken by Russians, so we don’t know what’s going on with him,” she stated.
“We all know that he’s alive. Two extra guys are combating there in the meanwhile, and some individuals are lifeless already due to the struggle.”
On Monday the 2 gamers had not determined how you can honor their dwelling nation throughout their match.
“It’s nice that two of us are assembly within the second spherical, and so it is going to be one Ukrainian within the third spherical,” she continued.
Tsurenko stated that, if allowed, she would put on a Ukrainian ribbon on her package.
