Rafa Nadal has millions of followers all over the world, but a few months ago we met a very special one: Leonid Stanislavskyi. He is a 97-year-old Ukrainian and the oldest active tennis player, which is why he appears in the Guinness Book of Records and who had the honor of sharing the court with the Spaniard at his academy in Manacor. His life was in danger due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, and although Leonid refused to leave his country, he has finally found safety in Poland, where his daughter lives.
Surely you remember Leonid Stanislavskyi, a 97-year-old Ukrainian who a few months ago fulfilled his dream of hitting the ball on a tennis court with Rafa Nadal, his idol. Close to turning 100, he has never wanted to let go of his racket and has the honor of being the oldest active tennis player in the world, which is why his name appears in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest tennis player with an ITF ranking. .
Today his name rings again due to the situation that Ukraine is going through, his country, which for the last two weeks has been trying to deal with the invasion of Putin’s troops. In his almost 100 years of life, this World War II survivor is now facing another of the worst moments of his life. “I survived World War II and I will survive this war,” said Stanislavskyi, confined to his home in Kharkov, one of the most bombed cities in recent days.
🎾 #Tennis We have just received the happy news that Leonid Stanislavskyi 🇺🇦 is now safe in Poland 😍
The oldest active tennis player in the world has fled by car from his city, Kharkiv, taking his rackets with him…
📹@ITFTennis pic.twitter.com/WOPDQKRvUZ
– Tennis Spain (@RFETenis) March 10, 2022
“We need this war to stop. I want to play tennis,” said Leonid, weeks away from his 98th birthday. His will was to continue in his land, but he has finally given in to his family’s requests and has agreed to leave Ukraine to be safe in Poland, where his daughter lives. There he has traveled without separating from his rackets.
Precisely, a few days ago the Rafa Nadal Academy remembered Leonid Stanislavsky ‘s visit last October to the facilities in Manacor, where he had the opportunity to share the court with the winner of 21 Grand Slams. “Dear Leonid, we send you all our strength and support in these difficult times. We were very excited about your visit to the Academy last year. We hope that when all this is over you can return to Mallorca to play on our courts!
