Alexandr Dolgopolov hits out at ATP for 'light stance against barbaric Russia'



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Alexandr Dolgopolov hits out at ATP for 'light stance against barbaric Russia'

Former Ukrainian tennis star Alexandr Dolgopolov isn't happy with the current sanctions the ATP has imposed on Russia and their tennis players. The ATP have condemned Russia's attacks on Ukraine and banned Russia from playing in the Davis Cup.

Russian players have been allowed to continue competing in international events but they do not compete under the name or flag of Russia. Also, all ATP and Challenger events scheduled to take place in Russia have been suspended.

In football and basketball, Russian teams were thrown out of the European competitions such as the Champions League, Europa League, EuroLeague and Eurocup. Dolgopolov suggested the ATP needs to take a stronger stance and ban Russian players from competing all together.

"Tennis needs to learn from FIFA and many other sports, on taking a real position on barbaric actions of Russia. Take a minute and read these 2 pages please," Dolgopolov tweeted.

Dolgopolov on joining the war

"Maybe I’ll be killed. Maybe I have to kill. What can I say? This is war," Dolgopolov recently said.

"This has gotten to a magnitude where Russia is really threatening world war and the death toll is very high—tens of thousands of people. Russian soldiers. The Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian civilians. They are getting murdered, thousands of them." Meanwhile, Sergiy Stakhovsky - who also enlisted in the Ukrainian army to defend his country - also suggested the ATP should ban Russian players from competing in international events.

“Maybe it’s unfair [to ban Russian players from the tour], but there’s no other method of stopping Russia…They need to be accountable…and the only way to make it happen is to make Russians feel guilty and make them rethink who’s governing them…Maybe they should vote better if they want the benefits of normal life and to study and travel abroad.

You will have to put a collective guilt on the nation for the actions of their leader. When Hitler was destroying Europe all the Germans were collectively guilty," Stakhovsky said.

Alexandr Dolgopolov