ATHENS — Anastasiia Lopata was back at home in Kyiv in August, sitting calmly, talking with her mother. Just a normal evening – except for the constant wailing of air-raid sirens outside.
Lopata had returned to Ukraine for just the second time since Russia’s war with her country began in February 2022. A war that left her at times without a place to go and with an uncertain future. She has found both at the University of Georgia.
Lopata, now an 18-year-old sophomore on the tennis team, was playing in a junior tournament in Lithuania when the war broke out. Her family was back in Kyiv, one of the places under heavy attack.
“Immediately all airports were closed, and I understood I couldn’t come back. And I was by myself and didn’t know where to go,” Lopata said.
Unable to return home, Lopata spent months traveling alone around Europe and playing tournaments. The tournaments were a significant help for Lopata, providing her with housing and food. Lopata credits that experience with maturing her and developing independence.
“Seeing how independent she was from the beginning was definitely encouraging,” Georgia head coach Drake Bernstein said.
At one point in Lopata’s recruiting process, Bernstein flew to Milan to see her play in the Trofeo Bonfiglio, a prestigious junior tournament. After one match, Lopata told Bernstein she needed to buy athletic tape. Bernstein was surprised because usually a trainer does this for the athlete. Lopata, however, always has taken care of herself.
“She brought in some perspective that you wouldn’t normally have with a freshman, obviously,” Bernstein said.
Lopata ultimately chose Georgia after decommiting from another school.
“Well, it was very important to me because I knew that I needed to go to college because I couldn’t say in Ukraine,” Lopata said. “... When I decommited from the other school, I was confused and lost because I didn’t know where else to go. And I needed to look for another school. But when I committed to Georgia, I was very calm, and my future is predictable and I know where to go.”
In her freshman year, Lopata was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team and was the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Southeast Region Rookie of the Year. She posted a 19-11 singles record with a final ITA ranking of No. 81. She went 11-11 in doubles.
Moving to Georgia was an adjustment, but Lopata enjoys living in the U.S.
“It’s been a home away from home in a lot of regards, and I think that’s our responsibility. ‘Nas’ dedicates a lot of herself to Georgia and the program,” associate head coach Jarryd Chaplin said.
Lopata’s mother and grandmother remain in Ukraine. Her father currently is working for a Ukrainian company in South Asia. Lopata talks to her mother every day, but doesn’t get to talk to her father much.
When Lopata returned to Ukraine for the first time in August 2022 after the war started, she was scared. Seeing her home in a state of war was shocking. One night, she was awakened around 3 a.m. by the sound of an explosion and her entire building shaking.
When Lopata returned for a second time in August 2023, she knew what to expect.
“Now when the air alarms are going, I just stay in the room. I don’t care. I don’t want to go to the basement. If it hits my building, it’s OK,” Lopata said.
Her brave mentality has become one of Lopata’s distinguishing traits. Her teammates and coaches said they are continuously impressed by her perseverance.
“When we played semifinals of the SEC tournament against Tennessee, ‘Nastya’ was down in the match, but then came back and clinched the win for us,” teammate Dasha Vidmanova said.
Seven of the 10 players on UGA’s women’s tennis roster are international. Lopata has been able to relate to those teammates on leaving their family behind and adjusting to college.
Lopata connected especially with Ania Hertel, from Warsaw, who graduated earlier this year.
“I feel like we were pretty close because we are kind of similar,” Lopata said. “We have a similar mentality. I could talk to her about a lot of things.”
Lopata uses tennis as her main outlet. Being a part of a team and focusing on improving her skills has been essential in ensuring she can enjoy her time in Georgia despite everything else going on.
“(She) has a particular toughness that most tennis players don’t even get the chance to have – and yeah, that’s exactly who she is on the court,” Bernstein said. “She’ll play and play and play. Super motivated, super determined.”
Lopata, who turns 19 in several weeks, plans on seeing her father for Christmas and visiting Ukraine again this summer.
In the meantime, she is staying motivated, not letting the situation back home disrupt her goals. Similarly to having to disregard the sirens back home and go about her day as usual, she plans to do the same in her tennis career here – persevere and continue.
Sarah Dickerson is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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