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Sergiy Stakhovsky was once on top of the world when, in 2013, he beat Roger Federer in the second round at Wimbledon.
However, like all Ukrainians, that world came crashing down last month when Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. And like many Ukrainian athletes, Stakhovsky put his career on hold to help the war effort.
Stakhovsky, who played at the Australian Open in January, is now stationed in kyiv, and was recently photographed patrolling the streets in full military gear with a machine gun in his hands. Speaking about his role, Stakhovsky said: “We are a group of three to five people.
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“We have a sector in which we patrol. Everybody gets a two-hour shift, then six hours off, then you have to go out for two hours again, either during the day or in the middle of the night.”
“We search to see if there are Russian agents and to prevent loiterers from entering stores.”
Earlier he added: “If Ukraine loses this war, it will be eradicated from all history books. She will disappear from the earth as a country”.
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Stakhovsky has put his career on hold (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Stakhovsky is not the only athlete to put his career on hold and boxing brother Vitaly and Wladimir Klitschko are also on the front lines.
While Oleksandr Usyk had flown home to help out, he has now received a waiver to return to his boxing career and prepare for a rematch with Anthony Joshua.
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