A former Ukrainian tennis star has admitted it's a case of "kill or be killed" after taking to the front line amid the Russian invasion.
Alexandr Dolgopolov, 33, stepped away from the sport 12 months ago after battling a persistent wrist injury. But any prospect of an easy retirement was cast aside when Russia moved troops to the border last month.
Fearing the inevitable, Dolgopolov first delivered family members to safety in Turkey. He then headed Croatia, where he met up with friends, with whim he loaded military gear and supplies into a car and drove back towards his homeland.
Dolgopolov met his father near the border before heading into Kyiv to help defend the city. The former world no 13 has been joined by compatriot Sergei Stakhovsky, 36, best known for his defeat of Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013, in joining his country's reserve forces.
And Dolgopolov, whose best result in a Grand Slam came when he reached the last 16 of the Australian Open in 2010, insisted he had no hesitation. "It was a hard decision as in dangerous, but not hard as in difficult," he told Sports Illustrated.
"We traded a racquet and strings for a gun and bullets. You fight in sport. You fight in here, you have to put your life on it."
"Maybe I’ll be killed. Maybe I have to kill. What can I say? This is war."
The Ukrainian also spoke out against tennis authorities, calling for stronger sanctions for Russian players. He cited the example of FIFA, who have banned their national team from competing at international level.
“They’re nice guys [Russian players], they have nothing to do with it, but my position - this has gotten to a magnitude where Russia is really threatening world war and the death toll is very high - tens of thousands of people. Russian soldiers. The Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian civilians,” he added.
"They are getting murdered, thousands of them. So this is getting closer to a genocide. And for this, I think that every reaction possible [should be deployed]. I hope tennis will take a stronger stand like FIFA has done.
The Davis Cup player is one of a host of stars to have swapped sporting attire for military gear. Legendary boxing brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko are also engaged in combat while Vasiliy Lomachenko had turned down an historic lightweight world title fight against George Kambosos Jr in Australia in order to stay and fight in Ukraine.
Oleksandr Usyk also took arms, but has now received special permission to leave and begin his training camp ahead of a proposed rematch with Anthony Joshua this summer. Oleg Luhzny, a Premier League winner with Arsenal, and former Sheriff Tiraspol manager Yuriy Vernydub are others to be serving on the front line.
