Emma Raducanu’s Ukrainian opponent ends friendship with Russian players – ‘I don’t get it’ | Tennis | Sport

“Everyone has a choice in life. I know people who fled Russia. Who left Russia because of this, because they cannot live in the country like this, they cannot live in a country where they are not allowed to speak or they’re not allowed to do things. If your choice is to live and keep living in the country that doesn’t give you freedom, like basic human freedom… there are so many possibilities to do something. So many excuses for so many weeks.

“I decided that the tennis court is where I’m going to do my fight – because I could go back to Ukraine and volunteer but I honestly, still to this point, don’t know if it would make me feel better than playing, but I chose this and I will never know the other part.

“I try to manage. Some weeks were extremely difficult, it went to the extent of thinking, ‘What’s the purpose of even being here alive?’. It requires a lot of mental strength and work, I’m just trying to do my best.”