How a Heartfelt Letter from Sumy Region Brought Tennis to Lypova Dolyna

In this series, we’re introducing you to the Marta Kostyuk Foundation community — people who, together with us, are creating more opportunities for children through tennis.

Serhiy Karpets is an amateur tennis player and a true driver of change from the village of Lypova Dolyna in Sumy Region. Despite working a full-time, he dedicates all his free time to sports and his dream of making tennis accessible to his local community.

The letter that inspired the team: from a dream to the first step

Serhiy’s love for tennis has a remarkable story. He grew up in a small village where there wasn’t even a school, and he only knew about tennis from television. He first held a racket while working and living in Finland, where a local farmer allowed him to play on his private court.

After returning to Lypova Dolyna, Serhiy set out to create a similar space back home. He took the idea to the head of the village council, and a neglected site was cleared and prepared for use. A new asphalt surface and fencing were later added, while Serhiy and his friends marked out the court themselves and bought a net. Every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 AM, Serhiy personally sets up on the court to attract children, teenagers, and adults to the game.

Realizing that mastering proper technique is difficult without professional guidance, Serhiy decided to move forward. Then he learned about the Marta Kostyuk Foundation’s “School Match Point” project, which promotes tennis among children in regions, and realized it was an opportunity to seek advice for his community. Inspired by this project, he decided to write to the Foundation:

Hello! I’m from Sumy Oblast. My friends and I, with the support of the head of the village council, renovated an old tennis court. We’d like someone to come and lead some workshops, because we know almost nothing about choosing rackets, the intricacies of the rules, or even the simplest techniques. Our court is just plain asphalt…We don’t have the funds for specialists, so maybe you have a retired coach who could visit us and give us a few pointers.

Projects united by the Foundation

The Foundation became the link between a heartfelt letter from the village and a real-life meeting. Our community already had a professional tennis coach who could provide maximum knowledge and support: coach Yevhen, with over 15 years of experience. A year ago, he received a scholarship from the Marta Kostyuk Foundation and completed the “Sports Psychology Course for Coaches.”

In this way, the Foundation’s ecosystem introduced two people: Serhiy, who learned about us through the “School Match Point” project, and Yevhen, who honed his skills as part of our educational project.

For the coach himself, the news of the asphalt court brought back warm memories, as he and his father had built and restored a similar court in Sumy during his teenage years. Yevhen traveled with his brother to Lypova Dolyna to share his experience with the community.

One day that changed the perception of tennis

Around 40 participants of all ages gathered on the court — from 5-year-old children to adult amateurs. Yevhen brought a whole bag of professional equipment: mini-tennis nets, balls of various levels according to the Tennis Tens system, agility ladders, cones, fitness balls, and tennis rackets.He also left a bucket of tennis balls to allow the community to continue practicing playing tennis.

The 4-hour workshop covered all key aspects of the game: a sports warm-up, handling tennis rackets, ball selection, stroke techniques (forehand, backhand), serving using proper ball toss technique, coordination drills using fitness balls, and practice matches between local players.

Yevhen’s main goal was to show every facet of the training process to the community. Local residents actively recorded the exercises on their phones to use them for self-training.

During the masterclass, Yevhen noted the exceptional potential of several young participants — notably a teenager with movement and technique resembling that of Jannik Sinner, and a young female player who impressed Yevhen with her speed and court coordination.

The coach’s experience proves that sports in small towns can transform lives: “In my practice, there was a girl from a neighboring village who traveled to Sumy every day for training, earned her Candidate Master of Sports title, and now works as a coach in Poland. Sport in small towns gives children a real ladder of opportunity and opens new horizons.”

Support in Difficult Times

The story from Lypova Dolyna proves that the development of tennis in Ukraine is driven by people on the ground – their enthusiasm, perseverance, and desire to create opportunities for children. Timely support helps these initiatives grow and thrive.

At the Foundation, we are truly delighted to see how tennis brings people together. When there is a shared passion, support from local authorities, and experienced coaches who share their knowledge, even a simple asphalt court can become a hub for children’s dreams, health, and mental relief, which is incredibly valuable during wartime.

The example of Serhiy and his village is inspiring: a local initiative can spark the development of an entire community.