By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday June 3, 2023
It has been a banner week one for Ukrainian tennis with both Lesia Tsurenko and Elina Svitolina passing through to the round of 16. With all the hardship happening in Ukraine with regard to 15 months of a brutal invasion by Russian forces, tennis may seem a small and insignificant distraction from what is really important, but when we listen to the words to the two Ukrainian women still alive in the draw in Paris, we can see how important their success is for the countries’ morale – and for the war effort.
At 34, former World No.23 Tsurenko has entertained thoughts of retirement, but expressed on Saturday in Paris that her decision to remain active on tour is as much as a decision for herself as it is to do something for the people back home.
She will face top-seeded Iga Swiatek in the round of 16.
“It was actually a big decision for me to stay in tennis,” Tsurenko said after easing past Bianca Andreescu in third-round action. “I think what really helped me is that I increased my work with a psychologist. I increased a lot because I had panic attacks, and I had a really tough time.
“So for me it was a learning process how to continue playing in these conditions and how to try to go on court and with some bigger goals. Not just play tennis, but I will be honest. I want to earn as much as I can to donate as much as I can. This is actually a bigger thing that I have in my mind when I decided that I will continue playing and I will be on tour.”
Impressive that Tsurenko, who dealt with a serious elbow injury last season and finished at 130 in year in the 2022 year-end rankings, has halved her ranking in five months. She’s not doing it for the money, she’s doing it for Ukraine.
Tsurenko relayed that a conversation with former ATP player Alex Dolgopolov, who is currently a soldier in Ukraine, helped her see the way forward.
“I never played for money,” she said. “A year ago it was a point where I was thinking, okay, or I go back home and I will be a volunteer and do whatever is necessary for my country.
But, actually, I have to say that I had a conversation with Alex Dolgopolov which really helped me. He told me, ‘Look, we will do our job here, and you continue your job, and you continue what you can do the best.’ He told me that, You know, we need money.
“So I continue playing. I want to improve myself. I want to improve my game, and I will donate. This is what I’m doing a lot, and…
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