Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov says he 'may kill or be killed' as he fights the Russian invasion

Retired Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov admits he may «kill or be killed» as the grim reality of the war in his home country kicks in. The 33-year-old is still in his first official year of retirement after hanging up his racket in May 2021, but he has shelved his original plans and instead travelled back to Ukraine to enlist and help to repel the Russian invasion. Ad/> Dolgopolov — like many who have returned to fight — has had to learn the basics from scratch, but didn't doubt his decision.

Tennis'No one wants to die, but it's our land' — Dolgopolov on fighting in Ukraine war17/03/2022 AT 10:33 Speaking to Sports Illustrated, he said: “It was a hard decision as in ‘dangerous,’ but not hard as in ‘difficult'. 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.” Dolgopolov is doing what he can — including fundraising for vital gear and supplies — but believes Russian tennis players must go further and denounce the invasion as the casualties of war continue to grow. “They're nice guys, 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. They are getting murdered, thousands of them.

'We want to do our job' — Russia's Rublev says sport should be outside of politics Federer 'horrified' and 'heartbroken' by war in Ukraine, will provide financial aid «So this is getting closer to a genocide. And for this, I think that every reaction possible [should be deployed]. I hope tennis will