Ukrainian WTA icon Dayana Yastremska collaborates with Latvian rapper and Czech singer to reach little 'Hearts' living under the fire of Russian aggression

Yastremska said that while she has tried to portray the situation back home, it is not possible to feel the pain through the lyrics. The 23-year-old says that one has to be in that situation to understand the plight of Ukrainians.

My lyrics were mostly about the children. It’s not their fault what is going on. But at the same time, it’s about the maturity they have. It’s difficult to explain and to express exactly how it feels because when you experience that, you feel it. If you didn’t experience that, even if you’re listening to the song, you won’t really understand it Dayana Yastremska said. (H/T: San Diego Union Tribune)

Dayana Yastremska talks about her emotions when playing against players from Russia and Belarus

Dayana Yastremska has been at the forefront of protesting against Russia in whichever way possible. While she has released a song to explain the plight of little kids in the country, Yastremska has also not shied away from taking her protest to the tennis court.

The 23-year-old Ukrainian has been mindful about not shaking hands with players from Russia and Belarus whenever she faces them. A recent example of the same was seen at the 2024 Australian Open when the Ukrainian did not shake hands with Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka.

Now, Yastremska has talked about the emotions she goes through whenever she has to play against someone from these two countries. She says that while they are athletes, it is difficult for her to separate from the people of the country which is attacking her home every second day.

Of course, it’s difficult to play against them. They are athletes. They are people. You try to separate, you know? But at the same time, you realize deep inside you that you’re playing someone from the country that is attacking your country, that is killing the children, killing people in our country. It’s difficult to separate the athlete and the person from the country that is putting a difficult time on our country and our people. Dayana Yastremska said.

Notably, not just Yastremska, but other Ukrainian tennis players like Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina have been also following the trend of not shaking hands with their Belarusian and Russian opponents.