Sergiy Stakhovsky invites John Isner to visit Ukraine

• John Isner called for the return of the Russian flag in tennis.
• Sergiy Stakhovsky invited Isner to visit Ukraine.
• Stakhovsky emphasized the absence of empathy from the side of Russian athletes.

This was reported by L'Équipe, La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Discussion about the return of the Russian flag in tennis has been reignited following John Isner's statement on social media X. Isner, a former world number 8, expressed a desire for Russian athletes to be able to compete under their own flag again. He noted that this issue seems absurd.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian athletes have been competing under a neutral flag. Isner stated that many Ukrainian players do not want to compete against Russian and Belarusian athletes after matches, which led to his exclusion.

In response to this statement, Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky, who has been serving in the Ukrainian army since 2022, invited Isner to visit Ukraine to see the consequences of the war for himself. "Come here for a week, and then tell me if you think Russian athletes deserve to return under their flag," Stakhovsky wrote on Instagram, accompanying the post with videos showing the destruction in Ukraine.

Stakhovsky also pointed out that none of the Russian athletes have expressed empathy or condemnation of the aggression against Ukraine. His reaction underscores deep emotions and the differences that exist in the world of sports amid an ongoing conflict.

Tags: Ukraine/Russia/Sport/Tennis