Only Roland Garros towel left, says Ukraine tennis player after Russian strike hits flat
Dayana Yastremska says her flat took a "direct hit" by a Russian missile in Odesa, and all that left was her Roland Garros towel.
Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska recounted how a Russian missile strike on the Black Sea port of Odesa destroyed her family's apartment. The only survivor of the attack was a Roland Garros towel, which she hung from the ruins. Odesa regional head Oleh Kiper reported that the missile and drone attack injured 37 people, including a baby, and left two missing.
In her social media post, Yastremska emphasized the stark contrast between the symbol of world tennis and the devastation of her home, urging the Women's Tennis Association and International Tennis Federation to view the images she shared. Yastremska, who reached the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open, currently ranks 113th in the women's singles rankings.
This incident is not the first time Ukrainian athletes' homes have been targeted since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022; in 2023, Kyiv football midfielder Heorhiy Sudakov's flat was severely damaged by a Russian drone while his family was inside.
Written by urgent.news from BBC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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