ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2023

Lesia Tsurenko

Press Conference

L. TSURENKO/B. Krejcikova

6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. How happy are you with your win, and can you talk us through your match?

LESIA TSURENKO: Yeah, of course, I'm very happy with my win. It was a very tough draw for me because she's a great clay court player. So I was really preparing myself for this match, and I'm really happy that I was able to play aggressive, to play, let's say, with character and fight for every point.

Yeah, I'm really happy to have this win for sure.

Q. I have a question about this new online software program of the tournament to prevent cyberbulling on players. Are you aware of this software, and do you use it yourself?

LESIA TSURENKO: No, I'm not. I'm not using.

Q. Can you elaborate on that?

LESIA TSURENKO: I don't really know what's that, so I'm...

Q. You don't know the program?

LESIA TSURENKO: Huh-uh.

Q. Software you can install on your mobile telephone, and it filters all the negative comments away for tennis players for social media.

LESIA TSURENKO: Yeah, no, I don't know about that. Yeah, we actually get quite a lot, so maybe it's a good idea for me to try.

Q. Would you use it?

LESIA TSURENKO: I'm not really reading comments. It's more random thing when sometimes I can see some comments and what people think about me.

Honestly, it's not a big part of my life, so I don't think that I really need it just because I don't feel that I need to protect myself from negative, aggressive, or stupid people. I don't think so.

Q. Last question, if you don't mind. Can you tell me something more about what these negative comments are, and how do you deal with it as a person?

LESIA TSURENKO: It is always quite sure that after every loss, you get a lot of comments from people who bet on you, from betters you get a lot because they are unhappy with the result or they are unhappy that you lost a point when he thought that you were supposed to win a point or a game or a set.

I mean, I have nothing to do with that. It's just their expectations, and I cannot -- I'm just a tennis player. I'm playing tennis, and anything can happen on court. It's not in my power to make everyone happy.

Now we get a lot of pro-Russian people who texting some bad things, like, I don't know, about Russia and Ukraine war, so that's another category of very aggressive and, yeah, stupid people.

Q. How do you feel as a Ukrainian player? You are supported by the WTA Tour? Are you happy? Are you content? Do you feel more should be done? What's your opinion?

LESIA TSURENKO: I said many times I think that a lot of false information is spread about Ukrainians and about the help for Ukrainians. I can ask an easy question, like what been made for Lesia Tsurenko, and the answer is nothing.

I think there are many issues. I don't really feel like after 15 months of war I should -- I don't know. I feel a lot of disappointment. I feel a lot of, I don't know, let's call it disappointment. I also feel that for the last few months a lot of false information was spread by top players saying that we are aggressive or we spread hate, which is very strange for me, honestly.

Definitely some days if I have unhappy face, it's just because, you know, my city was probably bombed for I think 16 times in May only. Only in May. Yeah, this May my city was bombed 16 times.

Yesterday part of the rocket landed 100 meter away from my home. This can make me unhappy, you know, and probably I'm not sometimes -- my face is not super happy just because of that. Not because I go into the locker room and I'm, like, spreading hate towards someone.

So I think also what happened on Marta's match is the consequence of that, that people are getting a bit wrong information. This is just a consequence of that. So I think that young, talented girl from the country that is struggling right now from a war does not deserve that. Yeah, that's my opinion.

Q. For the record, what is the city that you're referring to?

LESIA TSURENKO: Sorry?

Q. For the record, which city is it that you're referring to?

LESIA TSURENKO: I'm from Kyiv, and Kyiv was bombed 16 times in last months and five times -- sorry -- five times in two days, I think.

Q. What family? Do you have mom, dad, sisters, brothers?

LESIA TSURENKO: My family is right here at the moment because I got a surprise, so they came here for my birthday. I'm really happy to see them here and safe, but they live in Ukraine, yes.

Q. Wimbledon have announced that when you finish this tournament, you'll go to the grass courts.

LESIA TSURENKO: Yes.

Q. They will give Ukrainian players, I believe it's two rooms per day. What's your understanding of what Wimbledon are offering you as a Ukrainian player for the grass court season?

LESIA TSURENKO: I actually think that something similar is supposed to happen from the first day of war, but as we see, it didn't because of, I don't know, politics of the organization.

So I was really happy and I was really appreciative to Australia Open when they made something similar. I was really appreciative for the position of the Wimbledon in general about the war in my country. Of course, I understand how much pressure they've got, but they try to make something for Ukrainian, which is -- yeah, we are appreciated. It's definitely helpful.

I think every detail matters right now for us. Yeah, I just feel appreciation for everything that they've done as a Federation and a country in general.

Q. Is there a concern that if they are paying for accommodation that yourself and other Ukrainians may not want to speak out when you are at Wimbledon, or do you think you will want to speak out and talk about what's happening regardless of what the incentives they're offering?

LESIA TSURENKO: I mean, I don't think that it's something that if we get something like that we should not talk, you know. I still feel that there are many issues going on, like future Olympic games in Paris, which is -- I cannot understand what changed really that a year ago so many sportsmen around the world were banned from a sport and now they are coming back. I don't see a clear reason for that just because nothing really changed. The war still going on.

If you made this decision a year ago, what made you change this decision? In my opinion there is no reason for that.

So I think that it is still the message that should be said that, you know, nothing changed. The war is still on. I think that it's a step back for the International Olympic Committee and other organizations. They just showing, in my opinion, it's a bad example for future.

I think that all the sanctions and all the things have been made just to show that you cannot just invade the country, other country, and you cannot just come at 4 a.m. to another country and start bombing this country.

So I think that's a strong message that should be said, and if we or other organizations doing these step-backs, we should tell them they are wrong, and we should continue saying that.