22 year old Ukrainian tennis player Alexandra Oleynikova Won the UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) tournament series in Zadar, Croatia.

editorial sports.ua I decided to ask Alexandra more detailed questions about these competitions and also asked about current issues in world tennis.

– Can you tell us more about the UTR tournament you won in Croatia? What was the format, who did you play with, what was the prize money?

– The tournament was held in Croatia. UTR tournaments are held around the world, with the USA sponsoring the competitions, but they are held everywhere. The format is the group stage, where the position in the group is played first (4 groups of 5 players), and then there are playoffs for each row from 1 to 20, depending on the position. I played 6 matches there, competed with different girls and won in the final against Croatian Iva Primorac. The prize pool for UTR Pro tournaments is $25,000, first place is $3600, and last place is $400. I really enjoy playing UTR tournaments because they always give you a chance to play. If you start from the first month, you will definitely play 15-25K matches and of course this is a good chance to make some money.

– When do you plan to return to the professional tour?

– I played three futures this year, but they were not very successful. Being involved in the season, it was difficult to play. Now – futures in Greece this week, arrived in Heraklion yesterday. Two 15’s, first game tomorrow.

– Can you tell us a little more about your tattoo?

– I have a lot of tattoos, but if it’s about the one on my neck, then there’s no secret here – this is the year I started playing tennis. But honestly, I’m a little bored with it, maybe I can turn it into something more artistic.

– You may have read about Oleg Prikhodko. We will not repeat his words … What is your attitude towards him?

– Yes I have read. It is a traitor to be treated as someone who ignores the war in his own country. I don’t know if he got it from his pro-Russian prejudices or the lack of a clear position and the manifestation of some remnants of the Soviet mentality, but in any case such statements are treacherous and, if you’ve seen it, they really liked the Russian propaganda media.

– You have won the UTR tournament. Were there more prize money in these competitions than in the round? Please let us know in more detail how much you can earn by playing tennis, excluding sponsors.

– Yes, the prize money is more than 15–25K level. Earnings depend on the number of club matches, UTR tournaments and other commercial competitions. You can win 5,000 Euros for a club championship. Some people play 4 tournaments but that takes enough time (I plan to play two such tournaments this season). Well, there are quite a few UTR tournaments now, they are played almost as often as the ITF (I play 2-4 a year).

– “Tsoi lives”. This is exactly what the Russian Rublev wrote after the match against Zverev in a tournament in Dubai. What do you think you mean?

– I don’t know. I don’t understand these messages at all. I try to think less about it because it has long become clear that there is no opposition there and that the Russians do not want to do anything to end the war.

– The personal life of tennis players is always interesting to fans. How do you develop this side of life that does not concern tennis?

– My whole life is spent playing tennis, so there is nothing in life that does not concern him. Usually my life outside of tennis is limited to simple communication with a small circle of friends. I have no hobbies, but in my spare time I like to read and enjoy doing things that involve working with my hands (for example, I was always painting). I am not married and have not been in a relationship for almost a year.

– Yesterday Lesya Tsurenko did not go out to play against Arina Sobolenko. The reason is the panic attack caused by the words of WTA CEO Steve Simon. How can you interpret this and what is your attitude towards tennis players from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus? If yes, do you shake hands with them after the matches?

I understand it. For almost all Ukrainian athletes, I think the presence of Russians and Belarusians in tournaments is a trigger. Unfortunately, we all (with exceptions like Prikhodko) go through war in one way or another. It’s really touching to see the injustice in our sport.

I remember my last match against the Russians. Then the WTA had a week dedicated to mental health in tennis (I don’t remember exactly). I’ve been walking around all day, very angry and angry at the injustice done by the WTA exposing itself as if they were concerned about the psychological state of the athletes. They absolutely do not care about the plight of Ukrainian players, who live with the fact that tomorrow maybe a Russian rocket can fly into their house. Even though I was the favourite, I lost that match. And the psychological factor was one of the reasons. Unfortunately, all world tennis organizations except LTA are not interested in giving real support to Ukrainian players, they want to do business.

Now, while continuing to demand the complete disqualification of Russians and Belarusians from sports organizations, I am increasingly coming to the conclusion that we must fight as athletes and use our media to communicate the truth to the world. But we must understand that they are already manifesting themselves and not react too emotionally to such situations. My attitude towards Russians and Belarusians as aggressors – active (because many of them have an active pro-Russian position, but do not express this publicly and everyone knows about it) or silent – they allow genocide in my country. I don’t shake hands with them after a game, I don’t train with them, I never talk to them. And I completely ignore attempts to communicate with me (which is rare, because in life I communicate in Ukrainian, and this creates a barrier) – said Alexandra Oleinikova.

On March 15, Oleinikova will play in the 1/16 final of the W15 clay tournament in Heraklion (Greece). At the start of the competition, the Ukrainian will face Nina Vargova from Slovakia.

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