"They are all scared for their faith" - Stakhovsky asks Russian players to speak out
ATP
Sergiy Stakhovsky spoke about the initiative of Russian players and how he would like them to speak more about the War in Ukraine.
Currently, Stakhovsky is present in Krakow, where he will be part of an exhibition event, which will also include his compatriot Elina Svitolina. Iga Swiatek and Agnieszka Radwanska will be part of the exhibition as well.
Stakhovsky is one of the people who is trying to show the world what's happening in Ukraine, and he spoke about the issue once again in Krakow.
In particular, the Ukrainian spoke about the Russian and Belarusian players, who he thinks are scared to speak out because of their own safety.
"They are all scared for their fate. They don't want to go to jail... but they are okay that the kids and women are dying. I would rather trade and go to jail for a couple of weeks or even a month if I can save a life by doing that."
"I met some of the Russian players in Paris, I'm not going to name names, during Roland Garros, and basically all of them just turned around and walked away or just turned their heads away when they saw me."
Stakhovsky also spoke about Daria Kasatkina and Andrey Rublev, who publicly criticized the ongoing war in Ukraine. He named them as examples of players who were not afraid to speak out.
"And I know all of them for a very long time. I saw their careers grow. And I'm disappointed to say the least. Rublev was maybe the only player who came out publicly and said stop to the war in the first week."
"I have great admiration for Daria [Kasatkina]. She is a heron in her own way. If there would be more Russians like this, this war would have never started."
