Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov says he 'may kill or be killed' as he fights the Russian invasion
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Updated 23/03/2022 at 16:23 GMT
Retired Ukrainian tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov says repelling the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a "fight for the world" as he continues to aid his country's war effort. Dolgopolov had expected this year to be a sedate one as he settled into a life after tennis, but he decided to enlist in the army - and is urging stronger condemnation of Russia to help stop the conflict.
Alexander Dolgopolov at the Australian Open during his playing career.
Image credit: Getty Images
Retired Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov admits he may "kill or be killed" as the grim reality of the war in his home country kicks in.
The 33-year-old is still in his first official year of retirement after hanging up his racket in May 2021, but he has shelved his original plans and instead travelled back to Ukraine to enlist and help to repel the Russian invasion.
Dolgopolov - like many who have returned to fight - has had to learn the basics from scratch, but didn't doubt his decision.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, he said: “It was a hard decision as in ‘dangerous,’ but not hard as in ‘difficult'. We traded a racquet and strings for a gun and bullets.
"You fight in sport. You fight in here, you have to put your life on it.
“Maybe I’ll be killed. Maybe I have to kill. What can I say? This is war.”
Dolgopolov is doing what he can - including fundraising for vital gear and supplies - but believes Russian tennis players must go further and denounce the invasion as the casualties of war continue to grow.
“They're nice guys, they have nothing to do with it, but my position: this has gotten to a magnitude where Russia is really threatening world war and the death toll is very high - tens of thousands of people. Russian soldiers.
"The Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian civilians. They are getting murdered, thousands of them.
"So this is getting closer to a genocide. And for this, I think that every reaction possible [should be deployed]. I hope tennis will take a stronger stand like FIFA has done.
“I know that Russian players have said ‘No war', but that is not really a strong enough position for me at the moment. I think it’s a weak position. It’s not condemning their country’s actions. If the tennis world wants to keep them playing, they should really publicly condemn their government of doing the wrong actions.
“That is the only way the Russian people can stop [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.
"And from what we’re seeing now, he has an unbelievably high acceptance level. It’s up to like 70%. They [the Russian people] actually think the war in Ukraine is nothing. This is a joke. Their brains are washed with propaganda. If it’s in sports, if it’s with their rich people, with oligarchs, every Russian must feel that something is wrong.
“We’re thankful for what we’re getting and we see the people in the countries with us. But we need to push more together, because this guy [Putin] - I don’t think he’s planning to stop. The free countries have to call the bluff.
“Three of these clowns were standing with a map [on messaging app Telegram] and talking about how they [plan to] invade the other European countries.
"The world has to know that we are fighting not only for Ukraine but for the world.”
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