WATCH: Russian Tennis Player Writes Anti-War Message On Camera Lens Following Tournament Win

Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev wrote an anti-war message calling for peace between Russia and Ukraine on a camera lens after Monday’s match in Italy.

Rublev defeated fellow Russian and world number seven Daniil Medvedev in the final match at the ATP Finals in Turnin, Italy. The match took two and a half hours between the Russian players, and Rublev earned his 50th win for the year.

Rublev fell to the ground after winning match point; he then got up, shook hands with Medvedev, and walked to one of the cameras near the court.

In February, Russia declared war on Ukraine which has continued for the last nine months. Both countries combined have lost an estimated 200,000 soldiers since the start.

As he signed the lens, the world’s number five player, Rublev, had a clear message to the Russian government because it had invaded Ukraine.

“Peace Peace Peace All we need,” Rublev wrote in yellow ink. A stance against the Russian government.

This silent protest is not the first instance where Rublev provided his anti-war stance. In February, he wrote “No war please” on a camera lens near the court.

All Russian and Belarus players have competed with no flags next to their names since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Different governing bodies of tennis have barred the usage of the Russian flag since the start of the war, so the Russian government could not use the success of Russian athletes as propaganda in support of the war.

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