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Former Ukrainian tennis star Sergiy Stakhovsky, who has joined his country's war against Russia, hopes to be armed should he ever meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The 36-year-old made these comments to Italian daily Corriere della Sera last week in Turin on the sidelines of the ATP ceremony to honor recently retired players.
Having famously upset Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013, Stakhovsky's life has unfolded differently in the past few months following his retirement from tennis after the Australian Open. Leaving behind his wife and three children in Budapest, Hungary, he enlisted in the military in February to defend his country against the Russian invasion.
Sharing his numbing experience of the war to the aforementioned publication, the former ATP World No. 31 said:
“It's pain, suffering, heartbreak. War is a father who buries his son, a mother who entrusts her daughter to strangers to save her. Witnessing all of this inevitably changes you: you begin to live for revenge. Fear controls it, in my case it has passed. The pain, however, you carry it inside you and it never leaves you."
Posted on the Eastern Front, Stakhovsky has had a close shave with death many a time. Delving into details of the horrors, he revealed how he escaped twice:
"I was on a convoy near Donetsk, the bridge over the Kalmius had collapsed, we were looking for a way to ford. A barrage came, luckily the car was armored and withstood the blows," he said.
"Another time I was in Kiev, during an air raid on the central station. It's the hiss of the missiles that stays in your ears: a sound you never forget. I've seen civilians die, innocent people who have nothing to do with war," he added.
Never one to mince his words, the daring and outspoken Stakhovsky let his pent-up anger be known to the world when he was asked what he would do if he ever met Putin. His simple and direct reply was:
"I wouldn't have much to say to him: I hope I'm armed."
Sergiy Stakhovsky among 11 recently retired stars honored by ATP in Turin
The ATP honored 11 of its recently retired players on Friday while the season-ending ATP Finals went on in Turin last week. Sergiy Stakhovsky was one, with the others being Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon, Tommy Robredo, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Horia Tecau, Bruno Soares, David Marrero, Robert Lindstedt, Frederik Nielsen, and Ken Skupski.
Stakhovsky, a winner of four singles and four doubles titles, came to the court in his country's military uniform as the Pala Alpitour was lit up in Ukraine's national colors.
Having shared the court with his contemporaries once again, he told the ATP tour:
“It’s pretty special of course. Gilles Simon and Tsonga, and [Robert] Lindstedt and [Horia] Tecau, and all these great doubles players, it’s a great bunch of individuals. We spent tonnes of time together on the Tour, playing against each other and competing, and spending time on the [ATP Player] Council with Gilles a lot. Of course, it’s great, it’s nice, but in my given circumstances I feel a little out of place here.”
Stakhovsky, who was on a five-day break, left the Eastern Front and drove from Kyiv to Hungary before arriving in Turin. He is expected to rejoin the war effort next Thursday.
