'We'd like your assist': All-Ukrainian conflict at Wimbledon places focus past tennis

"There are big holes in the home, like big holes," she stated, earlier than revealing the household have been now residing together with her and her husband.

"It is a very small house for my household, as a result of, like, my mum, my dad, my brother, and so they have pets.

"They're so completely satisfied, and we're grateful ... that they've a spot to maneuver from Irpin metropolis as a result of Irpin is totally bombed."

"I am serving to so much my grandmother and grandfather who're in occupied territory now," she added.

"They cannot depart. So subsequent door is like Russian troopers with all their navy 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 is laborious to focus, however for me it issues if I win or if I lose," Kalinina stated.

"For those who go additional, you earn more cash. Then I will assist, and I am serving to as a lot as I can and never solely to my household. So for me that issues."

'We nonetheless have struggle and we'd like your assist'

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 via three months of the struggle in Ukraine.

"I do not really feel good," she informed reporters. "I really feel actually nervous, particularly as a result of I do know that they're making an attempt to get the one object, which is 100 meters away from my dwelling, from the constructing the place I stay.

"When the struggle began, I begin to really feel this stress within me ... This sense, this stress 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 match 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 in a position to participate within the competitions, additionally with all of the singers that go to Poland, to Germany, and having all of the live shows, 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 principle factor that I'd want to occur, that we get loads of heavy weapons. We simply need to remind [people] that Ukraine is in bother and we'd like assist."

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 do not know what's going on with him," she stated.

"We all know that he is alive. Two extra guys are preventing there in the mean time, and some individuals are useless already due to the struggle."

On Monday the 2 gamers had not determined how one can honor their dwelling nation throughout their match.

"It is nice that two of us are assembly within the second spherical, and so it will likely be one Ukrainian within the third spherical," she continued.

Tsurenko stated that, if allowed, she would put on a Ukrainian ribbon on her equipment.