"Then I saw the pictures and the videos, and I realised that the apartment was completely gone" - Dayana Yastremska explains moment she found out about destroyed apartment

It has been a truly wretched few years for Ukraine as Russia continues to hound them with missile attacks as the war that began in 2022 prolongs. It has recently made the news once more in the tennis world with Dayana Yastremska speaking up on what it was like to find out that her family's apartment was completely destroyed.

This occurred last weekend, where the latest Russian attack centred on Odesa. It would be another harrowing experience for all involved with Yastremska and her family waking up to some dreadful news.

The World No.110 had been competing in the North American hardcourt swing, but tennis would be put permanently to one side as she posted videos on her Instagram page detailing the destruction. This was shown from the outside before going up and inside the remnants of their former home, now mostly rocks and rubble.

This was partnered with a caption: “This night... This apartment belonged to OUR FAMILY,” she wrote. “This is what the ‘Russian world’ looks like. A direct hit from a Kalibr missile.”

It has been a hugely traumatic experience for the 26-year-old who, like all Ukrainian tennis players, has been juggling the ongoing war with her profession, travelling all around the world competing in the biggest tournaments while stuff like this still occurs back home.

She spoke out for the first time since the attack, outlining how she found out about it. "I woke up at five in the morning because my father called me on video," she told the BBC. "He told me that a Russian Kalibr missile had hit an outbuilding in Odesa during the night. Then they told me that the apartment was completely destroyed."

It took a moment for the news to properly sink in, but that gut-wrenching feeling would come for Yastremska. "For the first few seconds, I couldn’t really understand or realise what it meant. Then I saw the pictures and the videos, and I realised that the apartment was completely gone. When I saw that towel among the destruction, at first, it almost didn’t seem real."

Among the devastation was one eye-catching detail: a Roland Garros towel. The former World No.21 shared what the tournament meant for her and how this has become a symbol for her as well as motivation to continue on.

"For someone, it’s just a towel, but for me, Roland Garros is my life," she commented. "It’s my journey, my dreams, my victories, my failures, my everything, you know? And at that time, when I saw it, it became a symbol for me—a symbol that the fight goes on, even when everything around you has been destroyed."

Yastremska will hope that tennis can take her mind off the recent events as she looks to get back on track. The 2024 Australian Open semi-finalist won a WTA 125 title in Parma back in May, but her most recent singles win came in the first round of Wimbledon. With the Asian swing now upon us, she will be eyeing up a chance to put these events behind her and chase some more WTA wins and deep runs.