One of the first Ukrainian athletes to join the ranks of his country’s army to defend it from Russian attacks was tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky. The current 228th in the ATP ranking left the sport aside for a moment in the face of the situation in his country.
His position has found the support of other colleagues, although not directly with weapons. One of them has been the Serbian Novak Djokovic who has offered him help, as revealed by Stakhovsky through his social networks.
“Stako, how are you? Are you on the ground? Think about you. I hope everything calms down soon. Please tell me the best address where I can send help, both financial and otherwise.”, can be read on the screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation.
“Thanks for the support. Ukraine is grateful”, indicates the message that accompanies the capture.
Stakhovsky has become one of the greatest representatives of tennis in Ukraine in recent years, as evidenced by his eight ATP titles, as well as the elimination of Roger Federer in the second round of Wimbledon in 2013.
A few days ago, the Ukrainian tennis player had told the Sky Sports network the reasons why he decided to join the fighting forces. “The army has opened the reserve list for anyone who is willing to fight, gather weapons and be part of the territorial resistance. There are many people on the list. I signed up as a reserve last week, but I did not have the necessary documentation to enter the country”.
“The rules have changed and now anyone who is motivated can join. I have no military experience. I have experience with weapons, privately. I see no reason why most men in my country have to put their lives at risk and send their family away from Ukraine while they stay.”.
