'I hope I live to reach 100': World's oldest tennis player staying put in Ukraine war zone

Story by Reuters

Updated 1302 GMT (2102 HKT) March 7, 2022

The world's oldest tennis player Ukrainian Leonid Stanislavskyi, 97, practices on court in Kharkiv, Ukraine July 7, 2021.

(Reuters)Four months after 97-year-old amateur Leonid Stanislavskyi's dreams came true when he played with 21-times Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal, the Ukrainian is enduring his worst nightmare in Kharkiv as Russian forces bomb the city.

Stanislavskyi, who holds the Guinness World Record as the world's oldest tennis player, also had dreams of playing Swiss great Roger Federer but now he has only one simple wish — survival.Rafael Nadal: What's next for tennis' 'Big Three' after record-breaking grand slam victory?«I hope I live to reach 100. I have to survive this frightening situation,» he told Reuters.«The war started on (February) 24th. From the 24th till now I have practically not gone out. I've stayed at home… I have supplies, the fridge is full. I'm sitting at home, not going anywhere,» he said.«My daughter Tanya is in Poland, she wants to take me there. But I decided to stay here. I have bad hearing so I sleep at night and don't hear anything. Last night there were bombings, in the morning there were air-raid sirens again.»Read MoreStanislavskyi survived the Second World War, when he was an engineer who helped build Soviet warplanes to fight the Nazis.«I never thought that I would have to live through another, more frightening war where people from both sides are dying — mothers are losing their children, wives are losing their sons and their husbands,» he added.«What is this? What good is it? In the 21st century there can't be war. The war needs to be stopped, an agreement has to be reached.»Stanislavskyi used to train three times a