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Ex-Ukraine tennis star Dolgopolov swaps racket for gun to defend Kyiv

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine in action during his men" s="" singles="" first="" round="" match="" against="" Novak="" Djokovic="" of="" Serbia="" at="" the="" Italian="" open="" tennis="" tournament="" in="" May="" File="" photo.="" Ettore="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/overseas/03/17/alexandr.jpg"/><figcaption>Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine in action during his men&#x27;s singles first round match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Italy, 14 May 2018. File photo. <em>Ettore Ferrari, EPA-EFE</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>PARIS, France -- Retired Ukraine tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov has returned home to take up arms and defend his native city Kyiv from the Russian invasion.</p><p>&quot;Used to be rackets and strings, now this,&quot; he wrote in a post on social media alongside a photo of a rifle, helmet and flak jacket.</p><p>&quot;Hi Kiev, I&#x27;m back to help with what I can and defend our home,&quot; the 33-year-old who climbed to a highest rank of 13 in 2012 told his Instagram followers.</p><p>Dolgopolov&#x27;s playing career ended in May 2021 after a recurring wrist injury with three titles on the ATP tour to his name.</p><p>He said he had returned to help Ukraine&#x27;s struggle after being taught how to handle a rifle &quot;with an ex professional soldier&quot; during a visit to Turkey where he had taken his mother and sister for safety.</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/alex.dolgopolov.1/posts/5260094630720585" data-width="auto"> </div><p>&quot;I&#x27;m not Rambo in a week, but quite comfortable with the weapons,&quot; he wrote.</p><p>&quot;This is my home and we will defend it.&quot;</p><p>Dolgopolov joins a number of Ukrainian sports personalities to take up arms against Russia.</p><p>Fellow former tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky, who famously beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013, has signed up for his country&#x27;s military reserves.</p><p>Others to answer their country&#x27;s hour of need are two-time Olympic boxing gold medallist Vasiliy Lomachenko and world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, who returned to fight as soon as the invasion began.</p><p>Former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko is the mayor of Kyiv and told AFP before the war started he was ready to fight.</p><p>The 50-year-old&#x27;s brother Wladimir, also a former heavyweight champion, has also volunteered to take part in the resistance.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

Retired Ukraine tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov has returned home to take up arms and defend his native city Kyiv from the Russian invasion.