Ukrainian tennis players live 'parallel lives' at the Billie Jean King Cup
CNN
Wearing a shirt decorated with the Ukrainian flag in the shape of a heart, Lyudmyla Kichenok practiced her serve with teammate Dayana Yastremska in an empty arena under the watchful eyes of their captain Olga Savchuk on Thursday.
In Asheville, North Carolina, the Ukrainian women's tennis team is in the midst of their match against Team USA for the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers. Meanwhile, bombs rain down on their hometowns as war rages on in Ukraine.
"I feel like we have two different realities right now. The tennis court, an amazing atmosphere, amazing arena here. And then on the other side, we have people dying every day," Katarina Zavatska told CNN Sport.
After recent burglaries at homes of professional athletes – including Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce – the NFL and NBA have issued security memos to teams and players warning that “organized and skilled groups” are increasingly targeting players’ residences for such crimes.