Sergiy Stakhovsky has a very respectable tennis career behind him and the Ukrainian is now ready to fight for his country.
Stakhovsky, who reached a singles ranking of world No 31 and famously beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013, is in the process of helping his wife and children to safety in Hungary. Asked if he would be prepared to take up arms and fight against Russia, Stakhovsky told Sky News:
"Of course, I would fight, it's the only reason I'm trying to get back. I signed up for the reserves last week. I don't have military experience but I do have experience with a gun privately. My dad and brother are surgeons, they are stressed out, but I speak to them frequently - they sleep in the basement".
The 36-year-old urged people around Europe to protest against the Russian invasion wherever and however they can:
"It
makes the world of difference to our armed forces that they are not
alone at least in a media environment, but let's be realistic here, it's
been eight years of war with Russia, where was all of this for eight
years? None of us believed that this could happen, and yet it happened. None
of the European leaders or the world is ready to help, ready to put the
fight in Ukraine maybe for a better Europe in the future, because once
Ukraine is lost, we will resist."