War in Ukraine: Wimbledon wins motivating Anhelina Kalinina to help country's fight against Russia
- Published
Anhelina Kalinina is aiming to reach the third round of a Grand Slam singles tournament for the first time
Wimbledon 2022 on the BBC |
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Venue: All England Club Dates: 27 June-10 July |
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Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina says she is being motivated to win at Wimbledon by earning as much money as possible to help people back home survive the war.
After claiming her first main-draw win at SW19, Kalinina revealed her parents' house in Irpin had been bombed as the attacks by Russia continue.
"It's hard to focus, but it matters if I win or if I lose," she said.
Kalinina next plays compatriot Lesia Tsurenko, who said they want to remind people "Ukraine is still in trouble".
Kalinina, 25, said her parents are "alive and safe" and now staying in her apartment while they rebuild their home.
However, her grandparents are still stuck in occupied territory and Kalinina says they are living "next door to Russian soldiers with all their military stuff".
"The more I win, I'm not only helping my family, I'm helping other families and other people," said 29th seed Kalinina, who won 4-6 6-2 6-4 against Hungary's Anna Bondar.
"You go further. You earn more money. Then I'm able to help, and I'm helping as much as I can and not only to my family. So for me that matters.
"I'm not a superstar so I'm helping with what I can. And it's a lot to them, and for me that's huge motivation to play. Huge."
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, thousands of civilians and combatants have been killed or wounded, and at least 12 million people have fled their homes.
Tsurenko, 33, said there had been a bomb attack just 100 metres from her house in Kyiv and has been working regularly with a psychologist to try to deal with the traumas of what is happening back home.
"When the war started I start to feel this tension inside of me and I think even if I work every day with a psychologist, and I try to, I don't know how try to avoid this emotions. It's impossible," said Tsurenko, who reached a career high ranking of 23rd in the world in February 2019.
"I think this feeling, this tension, will only be released when the war will finish. There is nothing I can do about it."
But she added: "I feel that I play better, just because for me emotionally winning or losing doesn't exist any more.
"There is a big issue in my life: it's war. And there is nothing else that can beat this."
Lesia Tsurenko beat Britain's Jodie Burrage in her first-round match at Wimbledon, setting up a first career meeting with Anhelina Kalinina
Tsurenko said she would want to wear a Ukrainian ribbon on her kit during the match against Kalinina if she was allowed, with the All England Club confirming she could "assuming it was agreed" with organisers beforehand.
Their opening victories came on the same day Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, was one of the guests in the Centre Court royal box.
There were also representatives from the Polish Family Association - a charity supported by the Wimbledon Foundation caring for Ukrainian refugees arriving in Poland and the UK.
Two days ago, Ukrainian former player Sergiy Stakhovsky, who reached the third round at Wimbledon in 2013 and 2014, tweeted photographs of the war to starkly illustrate how he would be spending the next two weeks while the championships are being played.
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