Another Russian athlete has left the flag. Well, the thing about the pan-Slavic flag (reminder, also for Putin: white stands for nobility, blue for honesty, red for love) is not entirely true, because Russians have been allowed to compete as “neutral athletes” at best for two years.
Either way, Alexander Shevchenko, number 59 in the tennis world, has turned his back on his homeland and is “very proud” to now be “creating memorable moments for himself and the country” in Kazakhstan. But no one should assume an act of resistance against Putin’s warmongering, as Shevchenko is moving away primarily because Kazakhstan is attracting big money with which a billionaire wants to turn the country into a world tennis power and has already poached various top players from Russia.
The New Kazakh Shevchenko is also a non-defender because his heart still belongs to Russia: He has been married to fellow professional Anastasia Potapova for two months.
Thomas Klemm, Paris Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 18 Jannik Schneider Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 David Lindenfeld, Melbourne Published/Updated: Recommendations: 6
A year ago she wore a Spartak Moscow jersey (nickname in Russia: “the people’s team”) at the Indian Wells tennis tournament and was therefore warned. So Shevchenko is not practicing opposition, but rather opportunism.
