Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska has condemned Russia after a missile strike destroyed her family's apartment in Odesa. The strike, which occurred Friday night, reduced the 22nd-floor flat to rubble and resulted in two deaths and 37 injuries, including a baby.
In a social media post on Saturday, Yastremska, 26, shared footage of the damaged building and expressed her grief, stating that the only items remaining in her home were an orange Roland Garros towel and a child's toy. "This is what the 'Russian world' looks like, a direct hit by a Kalibr cruise missile," she wrote. "A Russian missile destroyed our apartment in Odesa. The only thing that survived was a Roland Garros towel. SYMBOLIC. A piece of world tennis survived a Russian missile. Our home did not."
Yastremska also called on the Women's Tennis Association and the International Tennis Federation to abandon their neutral stance on the conflict. "Look at these images through our eyes. This is the true meaning of your 'neutrality' - from the Ukrainian side of the court," she urged, tagging the organizations.
This is not the first time Yastremska's family has been affected by attacks. Her grandmother's home was previously damaged during an incident on New Year's Eve in 2024. Yastremska has publicly described Russia as a "terrorist country" and finds competing against Russian and Belarusian players emotionally challenging.
She has maintained a stance of not shaking hands with opponents from Russia and Belarus since 2023, stating that it does not matter the tournament.
