Ukrainian tennis star returns home to defend his country against Russia
Ukrainian tennis star Sergiy Stakhovsky has cut short his vacation in Dubai and returned home to join the Ukrainian army to defend the country against the Russian invasion.
Sergiy made the decision to leave his wife and three young children in the home in Hungary and return to Ukraine to assist his countrymen and women fight Russia to protect their land.
Russia is bearing down on Kyiv after annexing Kherson earlier and Sergiy says though he feels guilty that he had to leave his family behind, he is prepared to do whatever it takes to save Ukraine for the citizens and for his children.
He told CNN, “It’s impossible to make that call without hesitation. I have a wife and three kids. If I would stay home, I’d feel guilty that I didn’t come back [to Ukraine], and now I’m here, I feel guilty that I left them at home.”
According to him, his wife felt betrayed but he had to make the decision and they have not also informed the children about where he is going. All three children are under 7.
“Of course, she was mad,” he revealed. “She understood the reason for me, but for her, it was a betrayal. And I totally understand why she feels that way.”
“My wife didn’t tell them and I didn’t tell them … where I’m going,” he said of his children. “I guess they’ll figure it out soon.”
The 36-year-old called an end to his 18-year tennis career at the end of the Australian open at the end of January and took a break to travel to Dubai with his family for holidays but has to end it abruptly following an assault of his country by Russia which has now entered the second weak.
He joins Sheriff Tiraspol manager Yuriy Vernydub, Oleksander Usyk, Vasiliy Lomachenko and the Klitschko(Wladimir and Vitali) brothers as some of the sports stars to trade take arms in defending their nation.
