I’m not Russian anymore! Alexander Shevchenko changed citizenship, Duma deputy sees money behind the act

The Russians have one less tennis player in the world’s top rankings. The blame lies not with sporting results, but with the decision of the tennis player himself. What is behind the decision of the former Russian Shevchenko and how is he doing under the new banner? The criticism from a member of the Russian Duma is probably not too surprising.

Alexander Shevchenko

He is one of the players fighting for a position in the elite 50 of the ATP rankings. Alexander Shevchenko has now caught the public’s attention with something other than his results on the courts.

He has decided to change his citizenship. The former Russian has now become a Kazakh. The former Russian number six is now the new Kazakh number two.

The 23-year-old tennis player announced the change of citizenship on social media and according to his words, he can’t wait to fight under the new flag. From a sporting point of view, this has improved his prospects for participation in the Summer Olympics.

The Russian MP sees a clear motive behind the change. “The decision is completely illogical if he has not been offered money,” she commented on the player’s decision.

Shevchenko is far from the only tennis player who has set out to represent the Central Asian state. The current Kazakh number one Alexander Bublik also made a similar decision at the age of 19.

And given his track record, the conditions in Kazakhstan certainly suit him. Last week he won his fourth tournament title in Montpellier and the way he did so even made tennis history .

It was Shevchenko who played with Bublik at the aforementioned tournament and they certainly had a lot to say after the match.

A great start

The native of Rostov-on-Don started very well under the Kazakh flag. He managed two victories at the tournament before losing to his old compatriot Bublik.

And this week he also started his next appearance on French soil with a winning start. In Marseille, he managed to defeat home wild card Bonzi in two sets and is looking forward to a clash with tournament number one Hurkazco. If his new citizenship works out as well as Bublik’s, they will make a very interesting pair.

Source: ATP, Sport World News