Russian tennis player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has opposed Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The 30-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is currently the world’s No 14 and is the highest-ranked Russian tennis woman at the moment. Last year, she reached the final of the French Open, and in each of the other three Grand Slam tournaments, she reached at least the quarterfinal.
“I have played tennis since I was a child. I have represented Russia all my life. This is my home and my country. But at the moment I am terrified, as well as all my friends and relatives. But I am not afraid to express my position openly. I am against war and violence”, wrote Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the social networks. “Personal ambitions or political motives cannot justify violence. It takes away both our future and our children’s. I feel confused and don’t know how to help in this situation. I’m just an athlete who plays tennis. No, I am a politician or a public figure and I have no experience in this. But I can publicly dissociate myself from these decisions and speak openly about them. Stop the violence, stop the war”, added she.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were held last year, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova won a gold medal in the mixed doubles tournament with Andrey Rublev. In her career, she has also won 12 singles titles in UTA tournaments. A week ago, she announced that she would not play until at least the end of April due to a knee injury.
