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Former Ukrainian tennis player Alex Dolgopolov has opened up on his brave decision to return to his homeland and enlist with their military to help fight off the Russian invasion, admitting that he may have to kill.
Vladimir Putin’s forces began their bloody incursion in the sovereign country exactly a month ago, with tens of thousands – including civilians – feared to have been killed. A host of famous sportspeople have since taken up arms.
Dolgopolov, 33, conducted a chilling interview with Sports Illustrated from the outskirts of the capital city of Kyiv, and was forced to stop speaking several times because of ‘disconcerting noises’, with the bombardments continuing.
He famously defeated Rafa Nadal in 2014, has won titles in both singles and doubles and reached a high of No 13 in the world during his time in tennis. However, a persistent wrist injury forced him to retire, and he took up a career in business.
But the violence inside his homeland then convinced him to enlist with the territorial defence, and he has insisted that he may have to engage in firefights.
‘Maybe I’ll be killed,’ he said. ‘Maybe I have to kill. What can I say? This is war.’
Dolgopolov admitted that, so far, he has been lucky, adding: ‘I can’t tell you how it feels when you’re getting shot at.’
Earlier this month, he shared a photo of his equipment and weaponry on social media alongside the caption, ‘Used to be rackets and strings, now this.’
Former Ukrainian tennis player Alex Dolgopolov has opened up on defending his homeland
As Russia continue to attempt to advance on Kyiv, the former athlete explained that he was ‘carrying protection’ in the height of danger.
However, despite the turmoil, he said that he did not consider using his impressive earnings and reputation to shirk away from taking to the frontlines.
‘It was a hard decision as in “dangerous”, but not hard as in “difficult”,’ he said.
He then added: ‘We traded a racket and strings for a gun and bullets.’
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Source : dailymail
