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Alexandr Dolgopolov is one of the many civilians who have enrolled themselves in the Ukrainian defence forces in the country’s war against the Russian attempt to invade and take control of Ukraine. The war between the two nations began on 24th February 2022 and has now gone on for more than 100 days but there looks no end to the constant violence that has torn Ukraine completely and caused massive damage to the nation.

Dolgopolov had also called for a ban on Russian players from tennis but the ATP and WTA did not ban the players and suspended just the federations so that the players can continue playing as neutral athletes. The LTA and Wimbledon however did not agree and announced a ban on the players hailing from Belarus and Russia for their involvements in the war in Ukraine. Dolgopolov recently commented on WTA and ATP’s decision to remove ranking points from Wimbledon as a result of their ban and the Ukrainian had some strong words for the two tennis bodies.

“This justifies the fact that most of them support Putin”: Alexandr Dolgopolov on Russian players not opposing the war

One of the biggest points over the past few months has remained the silence of Russian players condemning the war. While they have offered their condolences and regret on the events taking place, none of them have defied the war openly. One reason for it could be the strict policy in Russia where as per many reports, opposers of the war have been taken into custody and the players and their families could be at risk if they speak out against the war.

“I fully support this ban. The Russian players have not distanced themselves from their government, despite the fact that they have huge public influence. In my opinion, this justifies the fact that most of them support Putin, as do about 70-80% of the Russian population. It would be a kind of psychological abuse for Ukrainian players if they had to compete with other players who might support the killing and destruction of their own families.

“Unfortunately, aside from Wimbledon, the ATP doesn’t seem to mind the fact that Ukrainians are suffering because of the war. Ultimately, they decided to protect the Russian and Belarusian players who did not speak out against the barbaric actions of their countries. If the tennis world has chosen to have blood on its hands, then so be it,” said Dolgopolov in comments reported by BTU.

Along with Dolgopolov, retired tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky also picked up arms in the war against Russia and has been serving in the armed forces. Dolgopolov and Sergiy represented Ukraine on multiple occasions and have known each other for a long time and are now fighting together in the protection of their country.

“Much to the surprise of many people, returning to Ukraine to help Ukraine in its resistance in this war turned out to be not such a difficult decision. Ukraine is my homeland, and I firmly believed that I could play at least a small role in my country’s efforts to defend itself against Russian occupiers. Sergiy and I keep in touch with each other, I know him very well personally since the days of professional tennis. He is also committed to helping his country, we both do our best to help in any way we can,” added Dolgopolov.