In April 2022, as Ukraine tried to defend itself against the Russian invasion, Katarina Zavatska was stuck about 8,277 miles away from her hometown. She was in South Carolina, USA, playing in the Charleston Open, torn between whether she should return to her family, who were in danger every second of their lives, or continue playing. When the war started in February 2022, she couldn’t hold her racket for weeks and called her parents every half hour to check if they were alive. The guilt kept eating at her, but she also knew the answer to her dilemma…

“Play tournaments to earn money, to send it to my family to help them,” she said back then. Despite not being in the top 200, Zavatska was selected to represent her country in the Billie Jean King Cup that year. Yet another opportunity to show the pain and the survival on a global stage. Going all the way to the finals, before Czechia knocked them out, she stood strong for her family, for her nation. Four years later, as the effects of the war still linger, she has taken another step to help her nation while sharing what it all felt like.

“My heart truly hurts,” she said in a statement. “Russian bombs have destroyed so many beautiful things in my hometown and taken away the most precious thing of all — human lives. There are no words to describe this pain. I’m not talking about myself, but about my family.”

Back in April 2022, Zavatska’s father was also supposed to join her. But with the war starting, he got busy with first moving the female family members of the family to the tennis player’s flat in France, where she trains in the offseason. Then, instead of staying with them or going to America, he returned to Ukraine to help fight the war. But that was another hurdle on every side of this story.

Zavatska was, of course, distracted by any and every piece of information that came her way from the war. Then, her father being in Ukraine and fighting the war brought uncertainties. Moreover, one of her cousins was pregnant, and she also had a five-year-old niece. With thousands dying every day, it didn’t make sense for her to continue playing tennis. But she had to. Now that the war has cooled down, she still keeps herself busy by helping her hometown.

In a recent development, it was revealed that Russian strikes severely damaged tennis courts in Rivne. Turns out that Rivne is the hometown of the world No. 248. As someone who had spent years practicing on those very courts and returning many times to teach other kids aspiring to follow in her footsteps, Zavatska wanted to give back to the community.

Zavatska stands for her community once again as she asks her fans for help

Zavatska has held tennis clinics for children in Rivne. But now the courts there have been destroyed. She knows how important the club was for the children who were planning to take up tennis. And being one of the most prominent WTA players in her country, she wants the courts to be repaired as soon as possible.

“I want to help rebuild the tennis court in my hometown of Rivne, Ukraine, so that children can return to training, keep growing, and continue chasing their dreams,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “I would be truly grateful to everyone who can contribute to this fundraiser. Every donation, no matter the amount, makes a difference and brings us one step closer to restoring the court where children can continue doing what they love and believing in their dreams.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support, kindness, and generosity. Together, we can give these children back a place where dreams are born.”

With her ranking being below the top 200, Zavatska doesn’t get a lot of opportunities to feature on the WTA Tour. Her latest appearance came at the WTA 125 event in Suzhou. She entered the tournament as a qualifier, but unexpectedly reached the quarterfinals. The 26-year-old was defeated by Renata Zarazua 6-1, 7-6.

Like Zavatska, Oleksandra Oliynykova is another Ukrainian player who has openly spoken about the painful state of her homeland. She let people know about the emotional reality of tennis in Ukraine through a controversial but effective move earlier at the French Open.

Oleksandra Oliynykova got emotional while reflecting on Ukraine’s conflict with Russia

After defeating Elena Pridankina at Roland Garros, Oliynykova unexpectedly pulled out her phone and showed a picture that shocked many, showing a destroyed tennis center in Ukraine that had reportedly been struck by Russia.

“The courts where I spent my childhood,” she had said during the post-match press conference. “I was practicing there for so many years. When I saw this, I mean, this is a huge part of my childhood memories. When I see something like this happening, it hurts me so much, and this is something so painful to see.”

Not only lives, but the means to move on that sports like Tennis present, have been affected in both Ukraine and Russia due to the conflict. But to help future generations, current players are voicing their wishes, hoping that one day their hometown will return to a better state.