Russian world tennis number seven Andrey Rublev wished "peace to all" after winning a doubles competition in Marseille with a Ukrainian partner, amid political tensions between their two countries.
Rublev made his comments following his feat at the Open 13, where he was also singles champion by beating Felix Auger Aliassime 7-5, 7-6 in the men's final on the same day.
Appearing alongside his Ukrainian accomplice Denys Molchanov at a press conference, Rublev was asked by a reporter if their joint win bore any symbolic significance given current events back home.
"You know, we are normal people. We don’t do politics. We’re doing sports," Rublev stressed, according to Tennis Majors, after requesting that the reporter repeat his question.
"Sport is an activity that brings people together, even if they are each cheering on their team or their player. Simple. Peace to all," 24-year-old Rublev finished.
Neither Rublev nor Molchanov, who share a 10-year age gap but have known each other since Rublev began his career, wanted to pass further comment on the matter.
Yet as unseeded entrants to the tournament, their win at the ATP event in Marseille made possible by delivering four consecutive match tiebreaks against Ben McLachlan and Raven Klaasen and beating them 4-6, 7-5, 10-7 in the final provides inspiration to all.
Uploading a photo of himself posing with his ninth career singles trophy, Rublev wrote a cryptic caption on Twitter.
"Through the pain that we share, always keep light inside," it read, alongside a black love heart.