INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Andrey Rublev intended to express what was on his mind and in his heart. The red-haired Russian didn't expect his simple message to go viral, or that he'd be seen as a hero for staging a personal protest one day after his homeland had brutally invaded Ukraine.
As happens at some tournaments, Rublev was given a marker pen to write a few words on a camera lens after his semifinal win at Dubai. Most players draw a heart or a smile or thank their family. Rublev, who had been receiving what he called "bad messages" since Russia began massing forces on the Ukraine border in preparation for its Feb. 24 attack, took a riskier tack.
"No war please," he wrote.
