“I say hi, some reply, some not” - Veronika Kudermetova opens up about the cold relationship between Russian and Ukrainian players on tour
Veronika Kudermetova recently shared some insights into the somewhat frosty relations between Russian and Ukrainian players on tour since the beginning of the war between the two nations last year.
Following her hard-fought victory over Kaia Kanepi in the first round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, a 7-6(4), 6-4 win, Kudermetova took some time to discuss the on-tour dynamic with Ukrainian colleagues.
The Russian athlete admitted that not all interactions were met with warmth, saying in her post-match press conference:
"I say hi to them. I say hi. Some people, they reply; some not."
Kudermetova, although acknowledging this cold dynamic, emphasized that all athletes, regardless of nationality, were primarily there as tennis players.
"We are here just a tennis player. It's like that," she added.
At SW19, Kudermetova marked her return after not being able to compete last year due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players. She expressed happiness to be back on court, and appreciated the supportive crowd.
"I was happy to come back here... And the crowd was very good for me. They support. I think it doesn't matter from which country you are, we are here to compete and try to show our best," she said.
Although her relations with Ukrainian players were a point of interest, Kudermetova kept the focus on her performance during the press conference. The 24-year-old conceded she didn't bring her best game to the court but was nonetheless happy with her win over Kanepi.
"Yeah, of course. I'm happy to win that match, but for sure I show not my best tennis, not my best level. But anyway, the final results, yeah, I win and I'm happy," Kudermetova admitted.
The Russian also acknowledged her opponent Kanepi's powerful performance, attributing her own success to her strong serving.
"Kaia, she played really well, she played very aggressive, she served really well for me. Was not easy to find the rhythm on her serve, but in the end, yeah, I found and I start to play a little bit better," she remarked.
Veronika Kudermetova takes on Marketa Vondrousova in Wimbledon second round
With her victory over Kaia Kanepi, Veronika Kudermetova progressed to the second round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, where she will take on World No. 42 Marketa Vondroušova.
The Czech defeated former NCAA champion Peyton Stearns in straight sets in her opener at SW19. Vondrousova has never gone past the second round at the grass-court Major and will be looking to changing that on Wednesday.