Andrey Rublev, a Russian tennis player, offered his thoughs on Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine by writing ‘No War Please’ on a camera after reaching the final of this year’s Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday.
The 24-year-old defeated Hubert Hurkacz in their semi-final meeting and will face either Jiri Vesely or Denis Shapovalov for the coveted trophy later this week.
Rublev went on to write the message on a nearby camera in the immediate aftermath of his victory in a public display of support for peace in the aftermath of Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine was invaded by Russian troops in the early hours of Thursday morning after weeks of tension between the two nations, which finally escalated into a full-scale military operation.
Rublev’s gesture comes after he initially weighed in on the situation in Ukraine following his quarter-final win over Mackenzie McDonald earlier this week.
“In these moments you realise that my match is not important. It’s not about my match, how it affects me,” he said.
“What’s happening [in Ukraine] is much more terrible. You realise how important it is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what, to be united.”
