After reaching the Dubai Championships final, tennis player Andrey Rublev wrote “No War Please” to a TV camera. This sentiment was repeated by Alex Ovechkin, an NHL star from Russia.
Rublev, seventh in the rankings, had just defeated Hubert Hurkacz from Poland 3-6, 7-5 and 7-6 (5) in their semifinal. He then wrote his message on camera, which is a common thing after matches.
Russian troops invaded Ukraine’s capital on Friday. This invasion has raised fears of larger war in Europe, and triggered international efforts to stop Russia. Rublev didn’t answer questions about the message in his on-court interview shortly after the match.
Ovechkin is one of the most well-known Russian athletes in America. He spoke to reporters in Philadelphia after practice. According to Ovechkin, he is a Moscow native and has “lots of friends” in Russia and Ukraine. He hopes that the attack will be stopped soon.
Ovechkin pleaded for an end to war on Friday. It doesn’t matter who is fighting, Russia, Ukraine or other countries. “I believe we live in a world where peace is essential.”
Ovechkin is a vocal supporter for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ovechkin created the “Putin Team” in 2017, which he claimed was not connected to the 2017 election but was a gesture of support for Russia. When asked Friday about his relationship to Putin, Ovechkin replied: “He is my president, but he’s not in politics.” He said, “I’m an athlete.”
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev spoke at the Mexico Open on Thursday about his shock to hear that Ukraine had invaded Ukraine.
Medvedev said that it was difficult to watch the news from home and woke up in Mexico each morning. He will be the No. Next week’s rankings will reveal the No. 1 male player.
Medvedev said, “By being tennis player, I want peace all around the world.” We play in many different countries. It is difficult to keep up with all the news. Peace is what I want.
Rublev will be facing Jiri Vesely, a Czech qualifier, in the Dubai final for the first-ever time on Saturday.
Vesely defeated Novak Djokovic to reach the quarterfinals. He then won another top-20 victory by beating Denis Shapovalov, 6-7 (7) and 7-6 (2) in less than three hours.
Vesely stated, “I’m having an amazing run here.”
