About a month and a half after the last match of Sergiy Stakhovsky’s tennis career, the 36-year-old Ukrainian left his wife and three young children in Hungary and returned to his native land, wanting to help as much as possible during the invasion by Russia.
Posted at 6:55 p.m.
“I don’t have the words to describe it. I never thought it would come to this — that I would be in my hometown… with a gun in my hands, Stakhovsky said Saturday in a video interview with The Associated Press.
He said he was in a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine’s beleaguered capital.
“A lot of people say they wake up and hope it’s just a bad dream. But, you know, on day 16, (it) doesn’t work anymore,” he said. The first days, (it’s) surreal.
You do not believe in it. And the next thing you realize, you get used to it, and you’re just trying to find a way to help your country survive.
Sergiy Stakhovsky
At age 12, contemplating a life in tennis, Stakhovsky began splitting his time between Ukraine and the Czech Republic to improve his game.
He turned professional in 2003, won four singles titles and four more in doubles, and earned more than five million in scholarships.
Highlights include climbing to 31and ATP rank in 2010, making it to the third round of majors six times, as well as beating Roger Federer 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5, 7-6(5) in second round at Wimbledon in 2013.
In January, Stakhovsky left the sport after losing to JJ Wolf at the Australian Open in the first round of qualifying.
The retreat did not go as planned. On February 24, Russia began attacking Ukraine. In the early hours of February 28, Stakhovsky arrived in Kyiv.
“You’re safe for a second. The second, something comes (from the sky) and no one is safe,” he said.
He said he had received hundreds of messages of support from the tennis world – players, coaches, officials – and mentioned a few by name: Richard Gasquet, Lucas Pouille, Aljaz Bedene and Novak Djokovic, winner of 20 tennis tournaments. Grand Slam.
Via social networks, Stakhovsky shared text messages exchanged with the Serb.
Working with what he described as a branch of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that can only be used inside the city – the unit is said to have been created “a few years ago to support infrastructure in the event of war — which no one really believed, but unfortunately it happened” — Stakhovsky said his days are divided into two-hour shifts, followed by six hours off.
This “free” time, he said, is often spent on what he calls humanitarian efforts.
“I just try to do everything we can 24/7,” Stakhovsky said. Because otherwise you will go crazy. »
He said he still has family in Kyiv, including his grandmother, father and brother.
As for how long he will stay, Stakhovsky is not sure.
“Hopefully not for long,” he said. I hope it will be resolved fairly quickly. »
Later this month, her daughter will be eight and a son will be four; the other son is six and a half years old.
He didn’t tell them where he was going — and why — before he left.
“They are quite young and I don’t think they would understand the meaning of war. And I don’t think they would understand anything. My wife knew… but she never asked the question directly, and I never told her directly.
“When… I told her ‘I’m leaving’, she started crying. So there wasn’t really a conversation,” he said.
He said talking to his kids hasn’t gotten any easier since then.
” It’s difficult […]. Every time they ask, ‘when are you coming back’ or ‘what are you doing’. I just say ‘I don’t know, honestly’.
“For me it’s not a good decision to be here and it was not the right decision to stay at home. None of this is fair, Stakhovsky said.
“But I am here because I believe that the future of my country – and the future of my children, and the future of Europe as we know it – is in great danger. And if there’s anything I can do to change the outcome, I’ll try to do it. »