Billie Jean King Cup: Ukraine captain is "living in two different realities"

Ukraine’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Olga Savchuk has described how it feels to be “living in two different realities.”

The Ukrainian squad has travelled to the United States to contest their qualifying match for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

Asheville Civic Center in North Carolina is set to host the fixture, with the best-of-five rubbers scheduled for tomorrow and Saturday.

Team captain Savchuk, a former world number 79, revealed the ongoing conflict back home was still at the forefront of her players’ minds.

“It’s like living in two different realities,” she said. “I can sit here and drink tea while my grandfather and aunt are in a bomb shelter.”

“At first, we felt guilt because we were not there and now – and it sounds scary – you kinda get used to it, checking your family are OK and checking the news.”

Dayana Yastremska and Katarina Zavatska, alongside twin sisters Nadiia Kichenok and Lyudmyla Kichenok, are set to represent Ukraine against 18-time Billie Jean King Cup winners US.

“It kills you, the worry,” said Zavatska, who has a father, five-year-old niece and pregnant cousin still living in her home city of Lutsk.

“But if I don’t do something, I feel like I am dying. So just playing tennis helps me feel OK. Day by day, on a tennis court is the only place where I can live my life.”