Wimbledon hopeful Daria Kasatkina opens up on troubles back home in Russia

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World number 11 Kasatkina, who was banned from competing in the UK last year due to the ongoing conflict, overcame Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 6-3 6-1 in a politically-tense first-round match at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne. </p>

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The 26-year-old has been following the news on a daily basis since the outbreak of war and feared friends living in the Russian city of Voronezh could be caught up in the recent rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group. </p>

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Kasatkina, who is now based in Dubai, acknowledges Ukrainians are in a "way worse situation" and concedes she cannot see an imminent end to the fighting. </p>

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"My family, my parents are still in Russia," she said. "As you can see, the last few days it's been a big mess also there. </p>

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"I'm worried for my friends, because my best friends they actually live in Voronezh, where the guy with the private army (Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Wagner) entered. I was pretty worried about that because they were very scared. </p>

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"Obviously Ukrainians, they are experiencing a way worse situation but also I can feel the same. I'm very worried for the people I love. </p>

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"It's been a tough year, and we don't know how long it's going to be. Honestly, so far I don't see the end. </p>

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"(It) feels s***, honestly. I'm not gonna hide it. It's tough to face the circumstances for such a long time already. I'm just trying to be a good human in this scenario. That's all I can do." </p>

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Kasatkina was booed off court earlier this month following her defeat by Ukraine's Elina Svitolina at the French Open. </p>

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Knowing Ukrainian players' stance of not shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents at the end of matches, she gave Svitolina a thumbs up, which was reciprocated, before walking to her chair. </p>

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There was little reaction from the East Sussex crowd on Monday afternoon as Kalinina followed the stance of her compatriots before swiftly departing Centre Court. </p>

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Kasatkina, who respects the reasoning for the post-match snub, admits playing tennis is providing her only escape from the war. </p>

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"When I'm on the court, I'm not thinking about it," she said. </p>

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"I am in the different state of mind, which actually helps me to turn off from all this. Since the beginning of the war, I was actually following everything every day. It's a lot. </p>

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"I was overwhelmed in some moments, and I'm just trying to turn off my head at least on the tennis court. It helps me a lot. </p>

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"I'm really glad to be back and to have this opportunity to play the tournaments, Wimbledon included." </p>

<p>The article <a href="https://www.planetsport.com/tennis/news/wimbledon-hopeful-daria-kasatkina-opens-troubles-back-home-russia">Wimbledon hopeful Daria Kasatkina opens up on troubles back home in Russia </a> appeared first on Planetsport.com.</p>