It’s a tradition: at the end of the matches, the tennis players will write with a marker on a camera which broadcasts the match. In general, this results in a paraph. This Friday, after winning his semi-final against Poland’s Hurkacz at the Dubai tournament, Andrey Rublev wrote: “No war, Please”. Taking a stand seems normal in a world at war. Except that Andrey Rublev is Russian and his message may offend Vladimir Putin.
Already the day before, after his quarter-final, the victorious world number 7 in Marseille a few days ago had taken a stand in favor of peace. “At times like these, you realize that my game is not important, he said at a press conference. It’s not about my game, how it affects me, because what’s happening in Ukraine is much more terrible. As I said, we realize how important it is to have peace in the world, to respect each other no matter what and to be united. We must take care of our planet and of others. This is the most important thing. »
He had also added that he had been the target of aggressive messages since the start of the invasion because of his nationality. “I receive bad comments on the Internet because I am Russian, aggressive messages, he explained. I can’t react to it, because if I did, I would do the same. If I want to have peace, I have to show that I don’t care. Even if they throw stones at me, I have to show that I am for peace. Even though I’m not responsible, I’m not here to be aggressive. After his victorious semi-final, he put the actions in harmony with his words.