CHENNAI: On the right hand of Court 1 at the SDAT Tennis Stadium, Ukraine's Vladyslav Orlov was serving. He was facing Alibek Kachmazov, Russian by birth but one of several players without a national identity on the ATP Tour. In Chennai's sapping conditions the mercury may have said only 31 degrees Celsius but the humidity made it very tough for the players who frequently bought themselves some time Kachmazov won a tight straight sets match after two hours and 13 minutes.
After 133 minutes, they didn't shake hands. There wasn't even a tacit acknowledgement of the person on the opposite side. In fact, Orlov said it's unfair Russian and Belarusian tennis players are still part of the Tour. For people unaffected by the invasion, that may sound extreme but from Orlov's point of view, it is simple. "If it was up to me, I would ban them because it's not normal, no?" he questioned. "I don't have a home now. Why?"
The 27-year-old, who lost his home in Kharkiv to a bombing by Russian forces last March, even alleged that: "I'm playing against a guy who's actually sponsored by some of the companies who are supporting the war. I don't know. That's not fair. I cannot influence this. My job is to go and play. That is just my opinion. I think Russian and Belarusian players should be banned until their country stops invading other countries. My university, school, city... it's all been destroyed."
When Orlov, who's coached by his mother (a former youth USSR champion in table tennis Olena Ludina) in Chennai, explains the current conditions in his home, it's hard not to feel sympathetic. "It's a disaster actually (conditions back home)," he said. "The Russians have been bombing our cities. Sometimes, people don't have electricity for up to 16 hours a day and it's pretty cold in Ukraine right now. Minus 15 to 20. So, it's pretty cold, dark and very dangerous. It's a question of survival."
That survival Orlov refers to began in the last week of February. "The one year anniversary is coming up soon," he said at one point of time in the conversation. It's obvious that the invasion affected him at a mental level. For the first few months, 'he didn't eat, sleep or practice,' Ludina said. Ludina, who has been in and out of Ukraine in the last year, sensed she had to do something. So, she decided to travel to a few tournaments, to be physically present with his son. "When I first went with him to a tournament in Croatia, he won (an M25 ITF World Tour event in Osijek). Before that, he lost, lost, lost." Unsurprisingly, it has been tough for Ludina too. She couldn't sleep on Sunday night as she remembered the sounds of missiles, rockets and bombs raining down.
Orlov, who acted as translator, nods. In this grim time, tennis has helped. "This is an escape for me." That was visible when the Ukraine team gathered for a 'home' Davis Cup tie in Leszno, Poland. "It was good to see my teammates in the Davis Cup," he said. "We found the right spirit, we won and I won the first match. It was a very good moment during these tough times." They also raised some money and donated the same to the Ukraine army.
Even otherwise, the tennis community has been closely linked to Ukraine's efforts in repelling Russia. Alexandr Dolgopolov (former World No 13) and Sergiy Stakhovsky (former World No 31) have both been fighting in the frontlines, delivering ammunition and food and helping people escape. While Orlov doesn't personally know Dolgopolov, he has been in constant touch with Stakhovsky. "We are in constant touch. We talk with each other, he's actually there, helping Ukrainians. He has been to the frontlines, bringing ammunition and food... so much respect."
Next week, he will be in Bengaluru. The week after, he will be in Pune as he plans to play all three Indian Challengers. All the while, he will do so hoping the invasion comes to an end.
Having lost his home & having seen his fellow countrymen endure lot of pain due to Russian invasion, Ukraine tennis player Vladyslav Orlov feels it's unfair to watch players from those two countries in action