Former Ukrainian tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov says tennis authorities are being “too passive” and should expel players from Russia while there is war in Ukraine.
The 33-year-old told BBC Sport the decision to allow Russian players such as men’s world number one Daniil Medvedev to continue playing as neutrals and remove their flag “isn’t changing anything”.
“Letting them play by just saying a few words that they’re against the war, I don’t think that’s enough,” he said.
Former world number 13 Dolgopolov returned to kyiv to join Ukraine’s territorial defense unit and recently underwent military training to learn how to use weapons.
While speaking to BBC Sport air raid sirens sounded in the city and he said it was “hard” to see “terrible things” happening in his country.
Russia and Belarus have been suspended from international team tennis competitions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
But the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the ATP and WTA tours have allowed players from both countries to continue to compete as neutral individuals “at this time”.
Medvedev has said he wants world peace, and his compatriot Andrey Rublev, the world number seven, signed a camera lens with a “no war please” message at a recent tournament in Dubai.
But Dolgopolov said he was disappointed in the stance taken by the tennis authorities.
“I know all those guys personally. I even played against Daniil when he was playing. They are good guys, but no offense to them. I think Russia should be blocked from any participant in any sport, in any culture,” he said.
“I think that every Russian is responsible for his government and for his president.
“Just being neutral, taking the flag away from them, we know that doesn’t change anything. And even the sanctions that are going on now, even the destroyed economy, it’s not enough to [Russian President Vladimir Putin] to stop.”
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Dolgopolov said that he told an ATP representative that tennis should go further.
“I already told you this, I think tennis is being too passive,” he said.
“I think it’s not enough to say ‘we’re against war’. We hear ‘we’re against war’ everywhere, at Miss Universe, at the Oscars. Yeah that’s great, but they don’t ask kids nor to the women here any questions.”
Dolgopolov said it was “inspiring” to see a number of Ukrainian athletes, including fellow tennis player Sergiy Stakhovskysigning up to fight.
To prepare for his return to Ukraine, Dolgopolov had several days of military training with a former soldier.
“Going to a place like this, you would like to understand how a weapon works,” he said.
“So, it doesn’t mean I’ll need it, I don’t know if I’ll need it. It means I can defend myself. And if I show up in any battle, I’ll shoot and hit the spot.”
Explaining what his main emotion was at the moment, Dolgopolov said: “Anger. My girlfriend was trying to leave with her son, that was about 10 days ago. Her car was shot up with some Kalashnikovs or something. They’re fine, but three cars in front of them were destroyed.
“They are killing civilians, entire families, she told me that they killed a family of her friends with children, with women. So we feel anger.”
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