World’s Oldest Tennis Player Says He’s Staying In Ukraine

The world’s oldest tennis player has revealed he’s staying put in Ukraine, saying he wants to ‘survive’ the frightening war and is ‘not afraid of anyone’. 

Leonid Stanislavskyi, 97, saw his dreams come true last year when he played with 21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. 

Leonid Stanislavskyi tiene 97 años y ostenta el récord Guinness @GWR como el tenista @ITFTennis de más edad del mundo. Su sueño era visitar la #RafaNadalAcademy by Movistar para conocer a @RafaelNadal.

¡Sueño cumplido! 😍 pic.twitter.com/AahkXy5BVO

— Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rnadalacademy) October 29, 2021

However, just four months later, his world was turned upside down when Vladimir Putin’s government invaded his country – something that’s threatening to get in the way of his hobby, but not his resolve. 

Stanislavskyi, who holds the Guinness World Record as the world's oldest tennis player, told Reuters: “The war started on [February] 24th. From the 24th till now I have practically not gone out. I've stayed at home... I have supplies, the fridge is full. I'm sitting at home, not going anywhere. 

“My daughter Tanya is in Poland, she wants to take me there. But I decided to stay here. I have bad hearing so I sleep at night and don't hear anything. Last night there were bombings, in the morning there were air-raid sirens again.” 

Earlier in his life, Stanislavskyi survived the Second World War – having been an engineer who helped build Soviet warplanes to fight the Nazis. 

He continued: "I never thought that I would have to live through another, more frightening war where people from both sides are dying – mothers are losing their children, wives are losing their sons and their husbands. 

"What is this? What good is it? In the 21st century there can't be war. The war needs to be stopped, an agreement has to be reached." 

It wasn’t until his 30s that Stanislavskyi started playing tennis, and used to train three times a week. 

Now he says the sport is his ‘life’, meaning he hopes to see an end to the war so that he can continue playing, and even potentially appear at the next seniors World Championships when it is held in Florida, United States, next month. 

Stanislavskyi said: "Tennis is my life, my destiny. I've played tennis at a serious level since I was 90, I've played abroad, I've played in World Championships, I've played in the European Championships.

"I'm not afraid of anyone... I'm hoping that the war will end and I will be able to play tennis. If I could get [to Poland] I would play there. But I decided to stay at home and wait for the end of the war.” 

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.