‘I am in complete fear’ – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova condemns Russian invasion of Ukraine
Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has joined calls to “stop the war” between Russia and Ukraine and fears for the effect the current climate will have on future generations.
Recently Ukrainian World number 15 Elina Svitolina revealed she will boycott matches against Russian and Belarusian opponents if the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) fail to take any action.
She also announced she will donate all prize money she earns to the Ukrainian war effort.
Sport-wide calls to ban Russian and Belarusian sports teams from competitions and make athletes from these nations play under a neutral title have intensified over the past few days.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been ill-received from the majority of the world, but has also faced resistance from within.
New Russian World number one Daniil Medvedev recently spoke out, as did Russian World number six Andrey Rublev. They both called for an end to the war and recognised the situation is bigger and more important than tennis.
In a statement published to her social media, French Open runner-up Pavlyuchenkova wrote “I’ve been playing tennis since I was a kid. I have represented Russia all my life. This is my home and my country. But now I am in complete fear, as are my friends and family.
“But I am not afraid to clearly state my position. I am against war and violence. Personal ambitions or political motives cannot justify violence. This takes away the future not only from us, but also from our children.
“I am confused and do not know how to help in this situation. I’m just an athlete who plays tennis. I am not a politician, not a public figure, I have no experience in this. I can only publicly disagree with these decisions taken and openly talk about it. Stop the violence, stop the war.”
— Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (@NastiaPav) February 28, 2022
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