Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev reveals writing an anti-war message was “one of the best things” he did this year. On 24 February, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine. On 25 February, Rublev recovered from a set down to beat Hubert Hurkacz in the Doha semifinal.
After beating Hurkacz, Rublev wrote on the camera lens: “No war please.” Rublev’s act quickly went viral and became one of the top sports stories globally. “I don’t like to talk about myself and to say good things about myself, I can only judge myself.
That’s why last year especially with the situation happening in the world you feel that maybe you don’t deserve and when you feel support from people, especially in Turin, I have never felt something like that before.
It was a really special moment. One of the best things I did this year was the message I left in Dubai. It was the most meaning that I could do during the year,” Rublev told Eurosport.
Rublev tried to speak with Wimbledon
In April, Wimbledon announced that Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing at The Championship.
In July, Rublev claimed he tried to speak with Wimbledon and offered some solutions but the tournament organizers wouldn’t listen. “As a tennis player, I could deliver the right message from the court but I kept getting the same answer: The Russian government is going to use our results for propaganda.
So whatever I’d say, the answer was, and is, the same. I couldn’t understand why they say so,” Rublev revealed. Russian and Belarusian players received support from one of the biggest names of the game as both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal labeled the Wimbledon decision as “unfair.”
Going into the 2023 season, there is no guarantee that Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to return to Wimbledon next year.
