Ukraine's Kalinina to use Wimbledon 1st round prize money for rebuilding family home
Ukraine' Anhelina Kalinina reveals home bombed by Russian forces; win against Anna Bondar guarantees 78,000 pounds.
FollowSome athletes have a lifelong goal of competing at Wimbledon at least once. Others go to extraordinary lengths in hopes of one day winning the championship. For some, winning a single match at the Grand Slam tournament is worth much more.
For Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina, Monday's first-round 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Anna Bondar has guaranteed her a prize only of 78,000 pounds, which will go toward helping her family rebuild their home bombed by Russian soldiers in war-torn Ukraine.
After Monday's win at Wimbledon 2022, Kalinina said her parents are now staying at her apartment while the rebuilding work takes place at their home in Irpin, which was retaken by Russian troops in late March.
The town near the capital Kyiv was heavily damaged at the start of the invasion, which Moscow called a "special military operation".
"It's hard to focus, but for me, it matters if I win or if I lose," she said, after setting up a second-round match with another Ukrainian player, Lesia Tsurenko.
"I'm not only helping my family, I'm helping other families and other people. It's a privilege to play here. It's a privilege to play every tournament. [If] you go further, you earn more money. Then I'm able to help, and I'm helping as much as I can and not only to my family. So for me that matters," she added.
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It was Tsurenko, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over British wildcard Jodie Burrage, who first passed on the news about Kalinina's family home. Kalinina said the family was now living in her apartment in Ukraine while their house was restored.
"First of all, their house was attacked. There are huge holes in the house, like huge holes. There are no apartments anymore. So now this home is getting rebuilt, so they can't live there. So they live in my apartment where I'm living with my husband," said Kalinina, who is seeded 29th at the grasscourt Grand Slam.
"It's a very small apartment for my family, because, like, my mum, my dad, my brother, and they have pets. Currently, they are rebuilding the house. Now they are at home safe. They have everything. Yes, I'm grateful that they have opportunities to live, and I am playing tennis. So that's good," the Ukraine tennis star added.
Kalinina will next face compatriot Lesia Tsurenko, who said winning or losing tennis matches was not a priority for her while her hometown Kyiv comes under renewed attack. For Kalinina, however, each victory is a way of helping families in Ukraine survive the war.
