For almost a month Sergey Stakhovsky has been at the front, to fight the Russian army, with the Ukrainian troops. The former tennis player, who stopped his career at the start of the year after his defeat in the first round of qualifying for the Australian Open, explained in an interview with BFM TV his role since the start of the war. The Ukrainian missions are primarily humanitarian: “For three weeks, I was on patrol in kyiv. I delivered food and all the personal protective equipment to the various units. It was my humanitarian mission. This Tuesday, I join my unit.
Determined and committed, Stakhovsky is not the only tennis player currently in the midst of a fight. Thus his former Davis Cup captain, and finalist at Roland-Garros, Andreï Medvedev has joined his compatriot. Alexandr Dolgopolov, ex-thirteenth in the world, did the same. These positions taken on the ground by public figures show the determination of the Ukrainians not to let go. Stakhovsky explained it this way: “Fear takes second place, it is rage and the will to take revenge against the Russian troops which rises. This fighting spirit is very strong at the moment among the Ukrainian troops”.
Former member of the Bordeaux club of Villa Primrose, Stakhovsky ended up thanking his former comrades and all those who gave him strong support since the start of the war: “These messages that I received in particular from my friends French tennis players, mean a lot to me in these difficult hours of combat”.