After Sergiy Stakhovsky and Andrei Medvedev, another former Ukrainian tennis player is ready to take up arms to defend his country. Retired from the courts for less than a year, Alexandr Dolgopolov, 33, joined the capital, kyiv, with other volunteers, crossing Europe from Croatia before returning via Poland, in order to engage in the defense forces. Reached by Skype for the program Tout le Sport (Thursday March 17 at 8:45 p.m.) the day of his arrival in the besieged city, he recounts the reasons for his commitment and says he is ready “to kill if necessary” to protect his country. Excerpts from his poignant interview.
Why did you decide to return to Ukraine?
Aleksandr Dolgopolov: Because it’s war, it’s my country, they are my compatriots. What is happening is terrible and everyone must help, everyone who can. I think I can also contribute to send a message. We have a lot of famous people here now, defending our turf so I came back to help too.
You are not the only ex-Ukrainian tennis player to have signed up…
A. Dolgopolov: No indeed, there is also Andrei (Medvedev, Roland-Garros finalist in 1999) and Sergiy (Stakhovsky) but also other athletes such as boxers Oleksandr Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko. All of them are part of the territorial defenses which are mainly made up of non-military people, people who try to help by patrolling the streets, to make sure that all is well for those who have taken refuge. This is to allow the army to focus on the fight.
Used to be rackets and strings, now this pic.twitter.com/hdYjMDlMuo
— Alex Dolgopolov (@TheDolgo) March 16, 2022
Are you able to use a weapon?
A. Dolgopolov: Yes, I had a little training of five to seven days with professional soldiers. I will never be at their level, they train for years, go into battle… But I know how to use it, I can shoot pretty well. The first day I had trouble aiming the body on the shooting range, at the end of the training I could shoot at the head at 25 meters three or four times. I hope I won’t need it, but if I have to, I will know how to use this weapon to defend my country. For the last six months, my friend was going to shoot and he always said to me, three times a week: “Come on, come shoot with us!” and I always answered that it wasn’t really my thing. And today I’m really sad, it would have been useful…
“In the last few hours, a theater in Mariupol has been shelled several times, there were more than 1,000 civilians inside. The building is completely destroyed. Therefore, why should I hesitate to kill any of them? them ?”
Alexandr Dolgopolov, former tennis playeron the program Tout le Sport
Would you have imagined yourself in this situation a few months ago?
A. Dolgopolov: No, I would never have imagined that. I am a person attached to peace, a tennis player. I had gone shooting once in my life, I hadn’t hit the target once… But there, I have no choice. What I see here, in my country, is not a war between two armies, but a war against civilians. I know several people who were killed, whose families were killed, families of civilians with children, who fled their homes because of the clashes and were killed when they posed no danger. I had to use my connections, my friends, to get into these Territorial Defense Forces.
Do you also want to play a media relay role in this war?
A. Dolgopolov: Yes I want to use my social networks, my name to show the truth of what is happening here. In recent days, journalists have been killed, I’m not sure you see the same things as us on the ground. We are in contact with people.
If you found yourself face to face with a Russian soldier, what would you be able to do?
A. Dolgopolov: Shoot ! What else ? Of course if he doesn’t raise his gun, maybe I’ll be in a position to take him into custody. But if he’s there to shoot people, I’ll have no doubts. Otherwise I won’t be here. If they are here to kill civilians and destroy my country, I see no reason to back down.
“The first rule is to survive, otherwise you’re useless.”
Alexandr Dolgopolov, former tennis playeron the program Tout le Sport
It’s an unfathomable question but are you ready to die for Ukraine, your country?
A. Dolgopolov: Of course, otherwise what would I be doing here? This morning, four houses were completely destroyed due to rocket fire. Now I’m in an apartment and the sirens aren’t far away. At any second, the window could shatter. I know this can happen so yes I am aware of this. I don’t know if it’s possible to be ready to die, in any case, this possibility exists. You have to be smart, focused. If it is necessary to speak to the press, to distribute food, to evacuate civilians, to collect money for the army… I can do a lot of things apart from shooting.
How is it going for you in Kyiv?
A. Dolgopolov: I arrived on Wednesday. I am slowly getting used to this environment, to the bombs. The war is between armies, but the Russians do not attack the army, they attack civilians, they spread terror. They want us to stop defending ourselves and accept Putin’s terms. But this is not acceptable.