"The Ukrainian nation will not be conquered": former tennis star Alexandr Dolgopolov discusses all things rackets and rifles

To many, Alexandr Dolgopolov is famously known by tennis fans all around the world for his unorthodox style of play and his radiant smile that lit up the court wherever he played. From reaching the Australian Open quarter-final to achieving a career high ranking of World Number 13, he was leaving some of the world’s finest players in his wake.

No more than a year since retiring from the sport, Alexandr now finds himself in the middle of a warzone. Handling rackets use to be his forte, but now the racket has been replaced by a rifle. 

Ukrainska Pravda caught up with Alexandr in this exclusive interview to discuss his journey from the tennis court all the way into a full-scale war.

Ukraine is well known for producing a lot of talented athletes right across the sporting spectrum. Your father, Oleksandr, was a professional tennis player, while your mother competed in gymnastics. No doubt your parents’ sporting backgrounds had a massive influence on you from an early age? How exactly did your journey into the world of tennis begin?

Well, when I was younger, my father was coaching Andrei Medvedev, who is Ukraine’s most well-known and successful player. He famously made the final of the French Open back in 1999. As my father was spending a lot of time with Andrei, this meant that I was frequently around a tennis court. Therefore, it was my own personal decision to play tennis, my parents never pushed me into playing tennis or any other sport for that matter, I always had a strong will to compete in this sport since an early age.

In 2011, you reached your first ever Grand Slam quarter-final in Australia by defeating the world number four at the time, Robin Söderling. This resulted in you achieving a career-high singles ranking of World Number 13. Can you recall how it felt to know that you were just a few places behind the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic?

To be honest, I did not really give it much thought nor did it phase me. I just remember how grateful I was to be playing the sport which I loved, I always played with a smile on my face. I believe that when you are younger, you can often be fearless at times, I was no different and it was such a fantastic feeling to be able to compete against and defeat some of the world’s best tennis players at that time. I played solely because I adored the sport itself, but of course, when you achieve some great results, you always want more to follow.

It has been more than a year now since you announced your retirement back in 2021. You cited that a recurring wrist injury forced you to retire, but something which many tennis fans do not know about you is that you suffer from a rare hereditary disorder known as ‘Gilbert’s syndrome’. Explain to us about this condition and did it also have an impact on your decision to retire?

Gilbert’s syndrome often affects either your liver or blood and can often cause fatigue. People with Gilbert’s syndrome don’t produce enough liver enzymes to keep bilirubin at a normal level. The condition could sometimes worsen when I had to undergo extensive travel, but thankfully due to advanced drug treatments and specialised diets, the condition can be managed. However, Gilbert’s syndrome was not the reason for my retirement. It did not particularly bother me much since I was around twenty-one years old. Before I was twenty-one, I had to find ways to manage it as it did cause me some discomfort at times.

As the world looked on in horror as Russian forces began their invasion of Ukraine, Alexandr believed that it was his moral duty to return to his native Ukraine in order to serve as a volunteer for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. With limited military experience, he headed across to Turkey in order to brush up on some new yet essential skills before heading back to his hometown, Kyiv.

A few months ago, you chose to return to Ukraine in order to serve as a volunteer for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Your former Davis Cup teammate, Sergiy Stakhovsky, also made a similar decision. How difficult a choice was this for yourself and your family and have you been in contact with Sergiy upon returning to Ukraine?

To many people’s great surprise, it was not such a difficult decision to return to Ukraine in order to assist Ukraine’s war effort. Ukraine is my homeland and I firmly believed that I could play even a small role in my country’s effort to defend itself from Russian occupiers. 

Sergiy and I stay in contact with one another, I know him very well on a personal level from my time in professional tennis. He is also committed to helping his country, we are both doing our absolute best to help any way we can.

The War has not only led to the destruction of many Ukrainian villages, towns and cities, but it has witnessed some of the most despicable atrocities which have ever been seen on European soil since World War Two, most notably in Bucha and Borodyanka. From your perspective, why do you think Vladimir Putin displays so much hatred towards Ukraine? Why exactly do Russia wish to cease Ukraine’s existence?

Unfortunately, nobody truly understands the reasons which are behind Putin’s and Russia’s extreme hatred of Ukraine. Even us Ukrainians, we simply do not know. Although, that’s very true indeed, I echo what you say about the amount of atrocities and violence which take place in Ukraine on a daily basis. From my understanding, there is a Bucha and Borodyanka like scenario in most of the places that get liberated from the Russians. 

Why exactly is this? My opinion is that it’s to do with a complex mix of different factors. These factors range from Putin not been able to declare an imminent victory in Ukraine, the vast swathes of Russian soldiers who have been killed, the culture of savagery and disobedience that exists within the Russian army and the hate which is derived from the Kremlin’s propaganda machine. 

Believe me, us Ukrainians are also in shock that such levels of violence are taking place in 2022. Even during wartime, rules also exist, yet all of these possible rules have been broken here by Russia astronomically. These are not just random petty crimes which have been committed by the Russian army, these are murders, rapes and genocide.

In general, the majority of the West has been very supportive towards the Ukrainian cause. However, at times, the European Union has displayed a lack of decisiveness over implementing effective economic sanctions against Russia, particularly with oil and gas, as well as over contemplating about supplying Ukraine with the necessary weapons required. What do you think about this? Are political and financial agendas tinting some politician’s views?

Many European politician’s views are indeed being tinted by their own agendas. In Ukraine, a great deal of people feel as though some European governments are bizarrely living in their own bubble so to say. 

The alarming reality is that Putin is continuously threatening the entirety of the European Union to subdue to his terms and conditions. He himself has declared that publicly, even his tightly controlled TV channels and spineless minions announce such threats on a daily basis. 

Yet despite all of this, some European leaders still believe they can make a compromise with Putin. Well, let me tell you, they are wrong! What exactly are these underperforming politicians risking? I believe that they are risking their own safety. 

These politicians should understand that if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he will gain control of one of Europe’s largest nations that has a population of forty million people, not to mention that he will have direct access to a range of different European borders. He will control many Ukrainians, who are some of the finest soldiers in Europe, as you probably already know, to fight for Russia in the future. 

I am telling you, if Ukraine is allowed to fall to Russia, Putin will invade other regions in Europe as well, if not now, in the future. My feeling is that with such power Russia could potentially gain by conquering Ukraine, Europe will flow in blood. 

Therefore, us Ukrainians suggest European leaders to think twice before allowing their own agendas to dictate the situation instead of offering their weapons and full backing of Ukraine in its fight for freedom. Ukraine has deservedly earned its right to become a fully pledged member of the European Union, we have done so with our own blood. We are not only defending our home, but the home of many Europeans.

Something which has particularly stood out in this War is the bravery, perseverance and grit which has been displayed in abundance by the Ukrainian nation, from the president to the people. Where exactly do these traits come from? Are Ukrainians simply born this way or is there a deeper reason behind it?

There is actually a historic viewpoint behind this. Ukraine has never once bowed down to anyone. Back in the 9th century, there was an Eastern European and Northern European state known as Kyivan Rus. The modern nations that are now known as Belarus and Russia both derived from the very existence of Kyivan Rus. 

Kyiv itself was not only founded long before the existence of Moscow and the Kremlin, but Kyiv is the mother of all Russian cities. Us Ukrainians have laid claim to these lands for centuries now. The Ukrainian nation will not be conquered. Despite Russia terrorising Ukraine throughout its history, the past is simply repeating itself and Ukraine is yet again displaying just how brave and proud its people truly are.

Most recently, there has been a storm in the media concerning Wimbledon’s decision to ban both Belarusian and Russian players from competing in the tournament itself. Some players have raised their concerns about this decision, while others have actively supported it.  Where do you stand on this decision and why?

I wholeheartedly support this ban. Russian players have not distanced themselves from their government, despite the fact that they have an enormous public influence. 

To my mind, that justifies that the majority of them support Putin, just as around 70-80% of the Russian population do. It would be a type of mental abuse towards Ukrainian players if they had to compete against fellow players who may be supporting the killing and destruction of their own families. 

Sadly, Wimbledon aside, the ATP Tour (Association of Tennis Professionals) seems to be okay with the fact that Ukrainians are suffering due to the War. They have ultimately decided to protect Russian and Belarusian players who have not spoken out against the barbaric actions of their countries. If the tennis world chooses to have blood on its hands, then so may it be.

The War has now surpassed one hundred days of continuous fighting. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself has declared that at least one hundred Ukrainians are been killed each day by the Russian war machine. If you could pass a message on to your fellow countrymen and countrywomen, what exactly would you say to them?

Hold on, my fellow Ukrainians. What we are currently experiencing is a historic moment for our nation. Not all of us will survive to tell the story, but we shall forever remember the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of our country, 

European values and all of the free world. I understand that it’s tough, every day I suffer in the same way as you do, but know that we will win this war. Us Ukrainians know exactly what lies behind the truth and in the end, good always prevails. Slava Ukraini!

Cameron  Reed