MELBOURNE, Australia — Oleksandra Olynikova exceeded expectations in her first Grand Slam main draw match — but she may have made an even bigger impression during her press conference.
The Ukrainian entered the media room after defeating defending champion Madison Keys 7-6(6), 6-1, wearing a T-shirt that read: “I need your help to protect Ukrainian children and women, but I can’t talk about it here.”
advertise
“I understand how people can help protect Ukrainians and protect them from these drones, but we need to be talking about this outside,” she said.
Russia has used drones extensively in Ukraine since 2024 and invaded Ukraine in 2022. Russia has targeted Olynikova’s hometown of Kiev in recent days, causing civilian casualties and ongoing power outages in the Ukrainian capital.
“In my apartment, there was no electricity, no water, no heating,” Olinikova said. She recalled that the night before she left Ukraine for the Australian Open in Melbourne, bombs struck buildings near her home, causing her own building to rattle.
According to Bounces, Olynikova maintains a website that accepts donations to the Ukrainian drone force where her father serves.
advertise
“My father was one of the people who defended Ukraine. He served in the 412th Independent Unmanned Systems Brigade “NEMESIS”, one of the most advanced unmanned aerial vehicle units in the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” reads a profile on the website.
“His combat teams work every day to stop Russian attacks and protect Ukrainian cities and villages. [The website] This is how I connect my tennis world to his frontline reality. Together with friends and supporters, we’re raising funds for mission-critical equipment to help his troops see farther, react faster, and get home alive. “
Olynikova has carried the team’s flag at other Grand Slam tournaments and told a news conference that her father was her biggest inspiration.
“After he joined the army, I was promoted 200 positions [in the rankings]… Because I know it’s his dream to see me on the court,” she said.
advertise
The 25-year-old, who had to ask where to sit when she entered the interview room, was also proud of her unconventional, gutsy performance against Keys at Rod Laver Arena.
She led 4-0 in the first set before Keys entered a tense tie-break and Olynikova led 6-4 before the American scored four straight points to take the lead.
Olynikova’s slices and moons unsettled the American, who said in her press conference that the last time she played an opponent with such excellent moon tactics was in the 12-and-under competition.
“They’re so high and so deep,” Keys said of Olynikova’s topspin sky shoes.
advertise
Even though Olynikova missed some chances in the first set, she looked on the bright side. She said she may have tried to hit a first serve that was too big when leading 6-4 in the tiebreak, but missed, forcing her to play a slower second serve while Keys punished the winner.
“It’s not always about winning or losing,” Olynikova said, a sentiment rarely shared by professional elites.
“I think in this sport we put too much pressure on athletes to just look at results, and that’s bad because when you play good tennis you’re playing against great opponents and you see a lot of sportsmanship on both sides and you see very friendly fans cheering both sides on.”
She extended that sentiment to the wider sporting world. “I don’t watch a lot of sports,” she said.
advertise
“I actually don’t watch a lot of tennis… Every match is important, every opportunity to talk about Ukraine is important. It’s sad because this war is very long and I think people are losing focus after so many years.”
However, her father was certainly watching.
“He told me it was a great match and he just texted me and yes, in this case I made his dream come true,” Olinikova said.
“What else? What’s the biggest motivation? I can’t imagine that.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
culture, tennis, women’s tennis
2026 Sports Media Company
