A tall young woman of almost 30 years old, Kateryna Yegoreychenko already seems to have had several lives. This Ukrainian has lived in three countries and played three competitive sports: tennis, beach tennis and padel. Today a refugee in Barcelona, ​​she had to flee Ukraine at war, but continues to indulge her passions, as a true sporting ambassador of her martyred country.

Ten doctors tell her she will never be able to play tennis again

Padel Magazine : Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your sporting career?

Kateryna Yegoreychenko: My name is Kateryna! I am almost 30 years old. I have lived in three countries (Ukraine, USA and Spain). I've moved eight times in my life, but I like it. I have traveled to over 20 countries I would say. I consider myself a very lucky person, because I have been able to meet incredible people all over the world, and I continue to discover them every day. I am often described as a go-getter, always positive. I like to travel, smile and enthuse. 

I have been playing tennis since I was 6 years old. When I was 15, I had the chance to train in the United States. It was an opportunity that I seized. But at 16 and a half, I came back on crutches. Ten doctors told me that I could never play tennis again. I decided to have an operation and see. Fortunately, nine months later, I was able to return to the tennis courts. I participated in a few tournaments, and I received an offer to study at an American university with a full scholarship to play tennis. After graduating, I started working in marketing companies, while coaching tennis.

Kateryna most often plays padel with men

run away from war

PM: The war forced you to flee your country. What happened and how did you find refuge?

KY: When the war started, all I had in mind was to get my family to safety as quickly as possible! There were four sleepless nights, very cold, lots of crazy things on the way, but we made it to the Polish border. I spent ten days in Warsaw working and volunteering, while figuring out where to go next. I found grace in tennis and an amazing Spanish organization – educated, which allowed me to discover the tennis academy RCTB, in Barcelona. They offered to train my sister, as well as 12 Ukrainian children, which is absolutely amazing. This academy helps them to fulfill themselves as tennis players and as people in general.

One of the main coaches, Mark, had the idea to help the Ukrainians, and that in many ways. They sent buses to the Ukrainian border, and picked up hundreds of people, while sending all necessary medical, food and other aid. In fact, I was very lucky! Thanks to this organization, we met an exceptional family who welcomed us and still support us. They treat us like family, and it's amazing how kind and caring they are! In fact, they are our guardian angels!

PM: Do you hope to return to Ukraine? How do you see the future?

KY: I hope I will have the opportunity to return home safely, especially for my family. I hope my family back in Ukraine can be completely safe and not have to spend an hour or two a day on the internet to make sure everyone is okay. I want to be able to live in a city where the sirens don't sound and feel safe there. I want to travel all over my country as I liked to do. I want people around me to be happy and not fear the worst at every moment.

Any Ukrainian you talk to right now will tell you that their future is just two days away. Even if you have a purpose in life, planning for more than a week is almost impossible. This is also my case. I have a few goals I want to achieve, but definitely no long term plan.

Number 1 of padel in Ukraine

PM: In Ukraine, you played padel and you were number 1? How did it go ? Are you still playing? Are you trying to play in Spain?

KY: Absolutely, I love this sport! It's been a big challenge for me since the beginning, and I still have so much to learn. When I came back from the USA, there were very few clubs padel in Ukraine. I was pretty much the only girl playing, so I started playing with boys. Then more and more people started playing, but I was playing against boys three to four times a week, so I got better. The guys didn't play with me like with a girl, they hit the same way: it's not very gentlemanly, but sport is sport. A year later, I was number 1 in Ukraine in the women's ranking, and number 9 in the men's ranking. I was allowed to play with men, because with girls I was bored.

Play at padel, it was almost the first thing I did when I arrived in Spain. It was almost a dream. And here too, I only play with men. I'm not playing pro right now, as I'm focused on my goal of reaching the Top 100 in beach tennis. I am currently 117e, so very close to my goal. In the meantime, I have won two tournaments of padel mixed. I would really like to find a partner of my level and try to play against the girls at a high level.

The Top 100 of beach tennis in the line of sight

PM: You are also a beach tennis champion. Why did you get into this sport?

KY: Beach tennis is a sport that I discovered in Miami, when I lived there. I was very interested in this sport to the point of falling in love with it. It may seem easier, but go run on the sand for a few hours, doing sprints, and we'll talk about it. First, I was just playing for fun, and then I became the top 20 in the advanced world rankings. I then played a few pro tournaments and saw that I had every chance of playing well. But life made me go back to Ukraine.

I then met extraordinary people, who started working on the dissemination of beach tennis in Ukraine, where a federation was created. I then became a national coach. Today we have an exceptional group of beach tennis players.

Before the war, me and my beach tennis partner had already planned to play tournaments, and see what we could do.

When the war started, me and my beach tennis partner were in Europe, where the majority of tournaments are held. We have decided to fly the colors of our country by competing under the Ukrainian flag, to continue to remind the world that we really need help and support! Without the help of the whole world at this time, it would be very difficult! This is why we are so grateful to everyone who helps us in any way!

After 40 years of tennis, Jérôme falls into the pot of padel in 2018. Since then, he thinks about it every morning while shaving… but never shaves pala in hand! Journalist in Alsace, he has no other ambition than to share his passion with you, whether you speak French, Italian, Spanish or English.

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