"I am in complete fear, I am against war and violence" - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova posts heartfelt message as Ukraine-Russia war escalates
Russia's No. 1 women's singles player and Olympic gold medalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova took to Twitter on Monday to condemn the ongoing war between her nation and Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in conflict for several days after attempts at diplomacy failed earlier this year. Pavlyuchenkova's nation, led by Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukraine a few days ago, causing widespread damage.
Several tennis players, including Ukrainians Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk, have spoken out against Russia's atrocities, while their compatriot Sergiy Stakhovsky has signed up for the military reserves to help protect his country.
Meanwhile, Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev, Pavlyuchenkova's compatriots, have openly called for peace.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova began her post by acknowledging her Russian roots. Admitting that she now lives in "complete fear," Pavlyuchenkova claimed she was not afraid to speak her mind about the situation at hand.
"I've been playing tennis since I was a kid. I have represented Russia all my life. This is my home and my country. But now I am in complete fear, as are my friends and family," Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova said. "But I am not afraid to clearly state my position. I am against war and violence."
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Pavlyuchenkova stressed how violence can never be justified and that it leaves behind a bleak future for humanity. That said, she rued the fact that she did not know how to provide a helping hand in the matter.
"Personal ambitions or political motives cannot justify violence," the Russian added. "This takes away the future not only from us, but also from our children. I am confused and do not know how to help in this situation."
The 30-year-old admitted that she did not have much say in the matter as an athlete but still called for the violence to end.
"I'm just an athlete who plays tennis," she added. "I am not a politician, not a public figure, I have no experience in this. I can only publicly disagree with these decisions taken and openly talk about it. Stop the violence, stop the war."
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova once picked Vladimir Putin as her +1 at a pre-Wimbledon party
During the 2014 Wimbledon Championships, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova famously picked her country's president Vladimir Putin as her preferred guest to a party.
When asked to pick anyone from the world as her +1, Pavlyuchenkova went with Putin.
"I'd bring Putin as my +1, I'm very patriotic," the Russian had revealed at the time.