Former tennis pro serving in Ukrainian army calls out Tottenham's Antonio Conte over Russian athlete comments

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Former Ukrainian tennis star Sergiy Stakhovsky called out Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte after Conte said it wasn’t "fair" to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition because of the attacks on Ukraine. 

Stakhovsky, who joined the Ukrainian army after retiring earlier this year, shared a direct message on his Instagram story that he sent directly to Conte, asking him to "please wake up" after his seemingly insensitive choice of words. 

TOTTENHAM MANAGER ANTONIO CONTE SYMPATHIZES WITH BANNED RUSSIAN ATHLETES: ‘IT’S NOT FAIR’ 

"I am not sure you understand the situation in Ukraine," a screenshot of his message stated, according to Eurosport. "Otherwise, I cannot imagine you would make a comment which would sound like you are sad about Russian athletes and businessmen.

Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky returns the ball to France's Gilles Simon in their men's singles first round match during the 2019 French Open tennis tournament in Paris. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)

"Millions of Ukrainians had to flee their homes because of the Russian invasion. Millions have to leave through hell in their own cities while Russian planes and artillery bombard them.. Please wake up.. Russians will have to carry collective guilt for the destruction and killings they are committing in Ukraine."

Conte, an Italian-born coach who previously spoke out against the war, expressed his sympathy for Russian athletes this week amid the near-complete isolation Russia is facing in the sports community. 

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"I repeat, it's very sad that this serious situation, this war between Russia and