Photo:Kin Cheung/APUkrainian tennis player Lyudmyla Kichenok wants her mixed doubles win at Wimbledon to serve as inspiration to her fellow countrymen.“I try to encourage the people in Ukraine with my performance,” the 30-year-old Kichenoksaid on courtfollowing Thursday’s match. “I hope it’s going to help them a little bit because they are fighting for their freedom.”Kichenok and her partner, 30-year-old Mate Pavic of Croatia, won the title in three sets (6-4, 6-7 (9), 6-3) over Xu Yifan of China and Joran Vliegen of Belgium.“It feels amazing to be Wimbledon champion in mixed doubles,” Kichenok said afterwards at a press conference. “I really enjoyed playing with Mate. He’s a great player. … It was really a great time for me the past ten days.”For Kichenok, it was her first-ever Grand Slam title. Her partner netted his sixth Grand Slam championship, after winning at the 2016 US Open with partner Laura Siegemund and the 2018 Australian Open with Gabriela Dabrowski,according to WTA Tennis.Pavic has also won three men’s doubles championships, including Wimbledon in 2021.The Ukrainian athlete, who has won four doubles titleswith her twin sister Nadiia, said the key to victory was training hard.ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“We both are just working hard on our game every day,” Kichenok said. “We both are trying to play aggressive. On grass it especially works really well. That’s the key. It worked for us this tournament.“Earlier on Thursday, Kichenok’s fellow Ukrainian, Elina Svitolina, lost in a semifinal match to Markéta Vondroušová in straight sets (6-3, 6-3).
Photo:Kin Cheung/AP
Kin Cheung/AP
Ukrainian tennis player Lyudmyla Kichenok wants her mixed doubles win at Wimbledon to serve as inspiration to her fellow countrymen.“I try to encourage the people in Ukraine with my performance,” the 30-year-old Kichenoksaid on courtfollowing Thursday’s match. “I hope it’s going to help them a little bit because they are fighting for their freedom.”Kichenok and her partner, 30-year-old Mate Pavic of Croatia, won the title in three sets (6-4, 6-7 (9), 6-3) over Xu Yifan of China and Joran Vliegen of Belgium.“It feels amazing to be Wimbledon champion in mixed doubles,” Kichenok said afterwards at a press conference. “I really enjoyed playing with Mate. He’s a great player. … It was really a great time for me the past ten days.”For Kichenok, it was her first-ever Grand Slam title. Her partner netted his sixth Grand Slam championship, after winning at the 2016 US Open with partner Laura Siegemund and the 2018 Australian Open with Gabriela Dabrowski,according to WTA Tennis.Pavic has also won three men’s doubles championships, including Wimbledon in 2021.The Ukrainian athlete, who has won four doubles titleswith her twin sister Nadiia, said the key to victory was training hard.ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“We both are just working hard on our game every day,” Kichenok said. “We both are trying to play aggressive. On grass it especially works really well. That’s the key. It worked for us this tournament.“Earlier on Thursday, Kichenok’s fellow Ukrainian, Elina Svitolina, lost in a semifinal match to Markéta Vondroušová in straight sets (6-3, 6-3).
Ukrainian tennis player Lyudmyla Kichenok wants her mixed doubles win at Wimbledon to serve as inspiration to her fellow countrymen.“I try to encourage the people in Ukraine with my performance,” the 30-year-old Kichenoksaid on courtfollowing Thursday’s match. “I hope it’s going to help them a little bit because they are fighting for their freedom.”
Kichenok and her partner, 30-year-old Mate Pavic of Croatia, won the title in three sets (6-4, 6-7 (9), 6-3) over Xu Yifan of China and Joran Vliegen of Belgium.
“It feels amazing to be Wimbledon champion in mixed doubles,” Kichenok said afterwards at a press conference. “I really enjoyed playing with Mate. He’s a great player. … It was really a great time for me the past ten days.”
For Kichenok, it was her first-ever Grand Slam title. Her partner netted his sixth Grand Slam championship, after winning at the 2016 US Open with partner Laura Siegemund and the 2018 Australian Open with Gabriela Dabrowski,according to WTA Tennis.
Pavic has also won three men’s doubles championships, including Wimbledon in 2021.
The Ukrainian athlete, who has won four doubles titleswith her twin sister Nadiia, said the key to victory was training hard.
ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“We both are just working hard on our game every day,” Kichenok said. “We both are trying to play aggressive. On grass it especially works really well. That’s the key. It worked for us this tournament.”
Earlier on Thursday, Kichenok’s fellow Ukrainian, Elina Svitolina, lost in a semifinal match to Markéta Vondroušová in straight sets (6-3, 6-3).
source: people.com
