Retired Ukrainian tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov has returned home to take up arms and defend his hometown of kyiv against Russian invasion.
“Before it was rackets and ropes, now it,” he wrote in a social media post alongside a photo of a gun, helmet and body armor. -balls.
“Hi Kyiv, I’m back to help with what I can and defend our home,” the 33-year-old, who reached No. 13 in 2012, told his Instagram followers.
Dolgopolov’s playing career ended in May 2021 after a recurring wrist injury with three ATP Tour titles under his belt.
He said he returned to help Ukraine’s struggle after learning how to handle a rifle “with a former professional soldier” during a visit to Turkey where he took his mother and sister for safety.
“I’m not Rambo in a week, but quite comfortable with weapons,” he wrote.
“This is my home and we will defend it. »
Dolgopolov joins a number of Ukrainian sports figures in taking up arms against Russia.
Former tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky, who beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013, has joined his country’s military reserve.
Others to fill their country’s hour of need are two-time Olympic boxing gold medalist Vasiliy Lomachenko and world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, who returned to fight as soon as the invasion began.
Former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko is the mayor of Kiev and told AFP before the start of the war that he was ready to fight.
The 50-year-old’s brother Wladimir, also a former heavyweight champion, has also volunteered to take part in the resistance.
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