"I'm not Rambo in a week, but quite comfortable with the weapons" - Alexandr Dolgopolov reaches Kiev to fight against Russia 

Former Ukrainian tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov took to Instagram to reveal to his fans that he has joined the Ukrainian resistance against the Russian invasion as a volunteer soldier.

Dolgopolov, who reached a career-high World No. 13 before his retirement in 2021, remarked that he was proud of his fellow countrymen for not bowing down to the Russian military. The Ukrainian added that he underwent military training from an ex-soldier in order to better prepare himself for the defense of his country.

The 33-year-old admitted that he was not as good as professional soldiers who have been training for far longer. But in the same breath, he stated that he was good enough to hit a target three out of five times.

"In just a few days [since the beginning of the war], me and my beloved Ukrainians completely destroyed the info world, and no one in any free country had doubts about the truth and who the aggressor is. By that time, I had already started practicing shooting, and I was very lucky that an ex-professional soldier taught me for 5-7 days," Dolgopolov wrote.

"They were really happy to help, once they heard my goal. I'm not Rambo in a week, but quite comfortable with the weapons, and can hit the head 3 out of 5 times, from 25 meters in a calm, practice environment," he added.

Screen grab from Alexandr Dolgopolov's Instagram story

Alexandr Dolgopolov disclosed that he was accompanied by a group of like-minded friends from the US. The group landed in Croatia armed with equipment that would be beneficial for the Ukrainian army, such as bulletproof vests and thermal scanners. From Croatia, Dolgopolov and his friends entered Kiev through neighboring Poland.

"While practicing, I was organizing the way back, so once I found few guys planning to go to Ukraine from US, and once ready, we started our travel," Dolgopolov said. "Took some bulletproof vests for us and our army, flew to Zagreb, bought all the stuff we needed, + some thermal monoculars and different things, and I drove through Europe, and entered Ukraine from Poland, and at last, I am in Kiev."

"I am proud of how united the country is under such pressure from a crazy dictator" - Alexandr Dolgopolov

Alexandr Dolgopolov revealed his plans to stay back in Kiev even after the end of the war

Alexandr Dolgopolov expressed his love and respect for those who have stayed back to protect their country. The former World No. 13 further added that he planned on staying in Kiev even after Russia and its "crazy dictator" were defeated.He ended his message with the now-iconic rallying cry of "Slava Ukraine!"

"This is my home, and we will defend it! With all the people that stayed! Big thanks and respect to all our famous people on the grounds. Lots of respect and I am proud of how united the country is under such pressure from a crazy dictator," Dolgopolov said. "Truth is behind us and this is our land! I will stay in Kiev until our victory and after. Slava Ukraine!!"

Dolgopolov is not the first former tennis player to enlist in Ukraine's defense, as compatriot Sergiy Stakhovsky is already at ground zero to protect his motherland. Others, such as Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk, have lent their voices to raise awareness about their country's plight, and donated prize money from tournaments to help their country.