Lesia Tsurenko considered quitting tennis following Russian invasion of Ukraine episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 16, 2022 · 49 MIN

Lesia Tsurenko considered quitting tennis following Russian invasion of Ukraine

from Not by the Playbook · host BBC World Service

Lesia Tsurenko discusses the guilt she feels about not being in Ukraine and the impact the conflict has had on her mental health. Tsurenko says she considered ending her playing career before a chat with Alex Dolgopolov made her see she could help Ukrainian’s by continuing to play and earn money to send home. Along with Elina Svitolina, Tsurenko has donated money to buy a tractor for the Army, which she believes will help save lives.Beau Greaves reflects on becoming the youngest ever World Champion in Darts. The 18-year-old predicted she’d win a World Title when she was just 13 years old and tells us winning the WDF World Championship was for her family members that didn’t live to see her achieve her dream. She also says she’s now hoping to pass her driving test if she can master roundabouts.The first blind person to lead climb the iconic Old Man of Hoy – Jesse Dufton – tells us how he got into the sport and how his wife helped him adapt his climbing as his eyesight deteriorated. Dufton says his next challenge is the “Prophecy of Drowning”, which is located on a remote Scottish island.In Sporting Witness, we tell the story of the cricket club which pulled off what is believed to be the first tour of North Korea. We hear from Jon Newton, who is the president of Shanghai cricket club and the man who brought the sports tradition of cucumber sandwiches to a pariah state. Russell Fuller joins us live from Prague with the latest on the Billie Jean King Cup, Shabnam Younus-Jewell is at the World Snooker Championship for us and John Murray is with us ahead of Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.Image: Lesia Tsurenko hits a shot during second round of the Miami Open on March 25, 2022 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. (Photo by Aaron Gilbert/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Lesia Tsurenko considered quitting tennis following Russian invasion of Ukraine

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