Ukraine-born Maryna Zanevska panics as siren goes off during tennis match in Saint-Malo

Maryna Zanevska shared her overwhelming experience after she felt a wave of panic triggered by a siren that briefly went off at the Saint-Malo Open 2023 in France on Wednesday, May 3.

The Ukranian-born Belgian was leading the first set against American Katie Volynet in the Round of 16 of the tournament when she began to cry following the sound of a siren. Zanevska appeared shaken up and eventually fell to her opponent, 6-2, 4-6, 5-7.

A fan re-tweeted Zanevska's post where she shared her state of mind and recalled that she was last in Ukraine in February when she heard sirens and that the sound acted as a trigger for her panic.

"I had very weird feeling today during my match after winning first set. I have no idea why but the siren was on! For maybe 20 seconds but felt like forever!" read her original post.

"I have never been in Ukraine since 24th of February. I never experienced siren. But it was such a trigger point sound. My hearbeat was 200! I was overwhelmed," she wrote in her post.

She added that she usually lets go of all her problems when she is on the court and that the feeling just "hit" her.

"Usually when I step on court, it's my place where I forget about my problems. But here it hit me badly!" she added.

Wimbledon to house Russian and Belarusian tennis players, fund relief efforts

Chairman of the AELTC, Ian Hewitt (Left), and Chief Executive of the All England Club, Sally Bolton(Right)

The Chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Ian Hewitt, and Chief Executive of the All England Club, Sally Bolton, came together to extend Wimbledon's financial gesture towards Russian and Belarusian tennis players.

They announced that the organizers will pay for two rooms for players from those countries and their team members throughout the 2023 grass-court season. They will also donate £1 for each Wimbledon ticket sold.

As a pre-requisite, the athletes have been asked to sign a declaration that includes competing as a neutral with no flags or statements in support of the said countries. The tournament will also not be broadcast in Russia or Belarus and media personnel from those countries will not be allowed on the grounds.

Facing a ban last year, tennis players including Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, and Aryna Sabalenka who missed out will look to compete in the event this year.