Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has represented the Russian colors on the WTA Tour since 2005. In view of the aggressive war that her home country is currently waging against Ukraine, the French Open finalist has now sent a clear signal.
“I’ve represented Russia my whole life. It’s my homeland, my country,” the 30-year-old tennis star opened in a statement on social media. “But right now I’m completely scared, as are my friends and family. But I’m not too scared to stand up for my position. I’m against war and violence.”
Such cannot be justified by political motives or personal ambitions, Pavlyuchenkova continued. What happens “robs not only us, but also our children’s future,” warns number 14 in the world rankings.
“I’m just an athlete who plays tennis. I’m not a politician, not a person of public influence, I have no experience with such situations. I can only publish that I dislike the decisions that have been made and report openly about them. Stop them Violence, stop the war.”
Statements a remedy against Putin’s lies?
Pavlyuchenkova is not the first tennis star from Russia to publicly announce his opposition to the war instigated by President Vladimir Putin. The new number one in men’s tennis Daniil Medvedev was already critical, and Andrey Rublev also called for an end to the aggression.
Statements by top Russian athletes could play a special role in the fight against the targeted misinformation that the Russian government uses to influence its own population. Pavlyuchenkova has over 119,000 followers on Twitter alone.
In Russia, the state controls the information disseminated by the media. Putin justified the attack with a series of unfounded lies and presented himself as a liberator in his own country.
Nevertheless, people in Russia have also protested against the violence. A dangerous undertaking, followed by numerous arrests.