Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky said on Saturday that he has enlisted as a military reservist for his country to fight against the Russian invasion.
Stakhovsky, 36, who rose to No. 31 in the world and defeated Switzerland’s Roger Federer on Center Court at Wimbledon in 2013, said that once he had helped his wife and son to safety in Hungary, he will respond positively to the army’s call to enlist.
“Of course I will fight, it’s the only reason I’m trying to come back,” he told Sky News.
“I applied to be a reservist last week. I have no military experience, but I do have a private gun,” he continued.
“My dad and brother are surgeons, they are stressed, but I talk to them often, they sleep in the basement,” he said.
(Also: The latest: Ukraine and Russia would be willing to negotiate before the invasion).
His Russian colleague Daniil Medvedev, who would soon become the number one tennis player in the world replacing Novak Djokovic, spoke out about the war in Ukraine. CNN quoted the athlete as saying: “As a tennis player, I want to promote peace around the world. We play in so many different countries. I’ve been to so many countries as a junior and as a professional. It’s just not easy to hear all this news.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian professional tennis player Dayana Yastremska, 21, said she and her family spent two nights sheltering underground in Odessa.
“After spending two nights in the underground car park, my parents made the decision at all costs to send me and my little sister out of Ukraine! Mom, dad, we love you so much, take care of yourselves! I love my country,” wrote the 21-year-old gamer on Instagram.
AFP
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