BOYNTON BEACH — Attacks began on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, at the start of the Russian invasion and 98-year-old Leonid Stanislavskyi was determined to hold on.
“I’m not afraid,” Stanislavskyi said. “I lived through World War II. I cried before.”
But Stanislavskyi was eventually convinced he wasn’t sure about staying. began a journey in early March that took him to reunite with his daughter in Poland and then South Florida, where he contested the ITF Super Senior Individual World Championships at Boynton Beach.
Stanislavskyi, apart from being a refugee from a war-torn country, is also the oldest competitive tennis player in the world.
Stanislavskyi lost, 6-1, 6-1, Monday to George McCabe of Oxford, Ohio, in a game that lasted about 90 minutes with just the typical breaks. He was very happy with the way he played against a “younger” opponent.
McCabe is 90 years old.
But this match was not just about tennis. Not to the roughly 50 spectators who lined the grounds of Coral Lakes Country Club and demanded photos. Not to Stanislavskyi, who wore a warm-up jacket and T-shirt proudly displaying his country’s blue and yellow colors, sometimes clutching a small Ukrainian flag and draping himself in a larger flag after the game. And not to McCabe, who while wearing an American shirt and hat, was very respectful of his opponent and said everything Stanislavskyi has endured in his personal life and on the pitch is “an achievement”.
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Nor to Dan Lobb, a broadcaster and producer from the UK who befriended Stanislavskyi three years ago while making a documentary about senior tennis players and helped Stanislavskyi escape the ‘Ukraine.
“He represents what the Ukrainian people are,” said Lobb, who accompanied Stanislavskyi to America. “It’s about resilience, pride, personal strength and that desire for freedom. Knowing that if he stayed in Kharkiv there would be no freedom for him. I couldn’t accept that.”
welcome to america
Leonid Stanislavskyi’s story is similar to that of the millions of people who were forced out of Ukraine after it invaded Russia earlier this year.
Kharkiv is home to 1.4 million people. The region suffered the brunt of the bombardment at the start of the invasion and parts of it were decimated by Russian air attacks in March. Buildings were razed and residents were forced into hiding, mostly in underground metro stations.
Stanislavskyi, Ph.D. in engineering, has lived alone since the death of his wife seven years ago. He said he did not see any of his friends or fellow Ukrainians lose their lives, but “I saw neighborhoods being bombed”, he said through his two interpreters, 23-year-old Katya Bodnar and Elister Haievskyi, during his first interview with America. Bodnar and Haievskyi, also refugees, spent six weeks traveling to America from their homes in western Ukraine.
“It’s sad that in the 21st century someone can destroy such a beautiful country,” he said.
Stanislavskyi believes his house remained intact, but said his daughter’s house was bombed. His daughter, Tatiana Bogatyrenko, currently lives in Lublin, Poland.
Lobb coordinated Stanislavskyi’s departure with the help of about six other people in five countries. Stanislavskyi was driven from his home to the village of Slemence on the Ukrainian-Slovakian border, a trip of around 815 miles that took three days. They arrived around March 8.
Lobb traveled from his home in the UK and met Stanislavskyi at the border. He booked Stanislavskyi and an elderly lady they met, who was also fleeing Ukraine, into a hotel before starting their six-hour drive to Tatiana’s house.
Through it all, tennis has always been on Stanislavskyi’s mind.
The oldest tennis player in the world
Stanislavskyi started playing tennis in Kharkiv at the age of 30. Nearly 70 years later, he is officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest competitive player in the world.
But it wasn’t until eight years ago, at the age of 90, that he started the ITF Super Seniors circuit and played his first competitive game.
Tired of playing against ‘kids’ in their 80s – ‘Young people are stronger and have more power’, he said – Stanislavskyi suggested ITF Super Seniors create an age group 90 years and over. The division competed for the first time last year.
Tournament director Luis Baraldi said nine players aged 90 or over are taking part in the championships this week, including a 97-year-old Chilean. The tournament runs until Saturday.
Stanislavskyi turned 98 on March 22. A day later he was on a tennis court in Lublin, Poland. The Lublin tennis club serves as a hub for Ukrainian tennis players, its owner told Scottish daily TFN.
After weeks of training, Stanislavskyi and Lobb flew to Miami so he could compete in the Super Seniors event. Stanislavskyi had planned to make the trip even before his country was invaded and was determined to make it happen.
“I was like a lot of people around the world who felt angry about what was going on there, kind of helpless,” Lobb said. “But I realized immediately that I was not helpless because I could help him.
“I gladly did it because he’s 98 and still living a life.”
Chance meeting in a cafe
Dan Lobb was recently sitting at the Carmela Coffee Shop in Delray Beach when he overheard two people talking. He knew immediately by the accent that these children probably had a story to tell.
“You recognize Eastern European accents when you live in the UK,” said Lobb, 50.
The voices belonged to Bodnar and Haievskyi. Lobb struck up a conversation, learned their story, and asked if they would like to help out at the tournament as interpreters for Stanislavskyi. Both agreed and accompanied Stanislavskyi to the tournament, translating every question and answer for what would be Stanislavskyi’s first interview in America.
In addition to studying English at school, both learned to speak the language in every way possible.
“I practiced and practiced,” Katya said. “What I learn today, I practice tomorrow, and what I learn tomorrow, I practice tomorrow.”
Bodnar and Haievskyi stayed in touch after leaving Ukraine but did not meet until after their journey had begun. Bodnar was in Poland and Elister in Italy before meeting in Austria and then traveling together to Belgium, Mexico (Cancun and Tijuana), San Diego and finally Florida.
But it was at the Tijuana border that their lives changed. They didn’t know anyone and were afraid. They had an appointment to cross the border but nowhere to go. Desperate, they contacted groups on Facebook
That’s when Lisette Barton of Pompano Beach saw their post. Barton, a fourth-grade teacher at Delray Beach’s Plumosa School of the Arts, did missionary work and in March traveled to Poland to help transport refugees and deliver donations that were packed by her students.
Barton’s original last name was Nazarovich, but was changed by his grandfather who built houses in Pittsburgh and couldn’t get any business because of his last name. She believed her ancestors came from Ukraine, but wasn’t completely sure.
“I called my aunt in Pittsburgh and said, ‘Are we really, really Ukrainian?'” Barton, 51, said. “She said, ‘Yeah, 100 per cent.’ I said, ‘Ok, now I know where I’m going for spring break.’ “
Barton had already planned a trip to Southern California for Easter weekend to help border refugees when she saw Bodnar and Haievskyi reaching out on Facebook. She booked them into an Airbnb, arrived Friday, and Monday they were on a plane with her to Fort Lauderdale.
However, they were first baptized on Easter Sunday at Calvary Chapel in San Diego, with famed Christian music singer Jeremy Camp.
“It was so surreal,” Barton said.
Bodnar and Haievskyi will soon be settling down with an apartment in Fort Lauderdale.
“There’s not a moment when they’re not happy,” Barton said. “Not for a moment. They’re very grateful, grateful, energetic kids. They’re super grateful to be here in America. They’re so joyful and infectious to be here.”
As for randomly meeting Lobb and now helping Stanislavskyi… “It’s like a movie,” Barton said.
Appreciating the support of the United States
Stanislavskyi’s game is played from the baseline. His aerial serve is precise and most of his shots, whether backhand or forehand, float in play. The only time he showed frustration on the court on Monday was when the wind picked up. grabbed one of his lobs and carried the ball out of bounds.
Each point was greeted with a cheer from the spectators.
Several times, as he stepped back to hit a ball over his head, he seemed to wobble. For those who didn’t see him play, it looked like he was about to fall.
Lobb knows best.
“It never falls,” he said.
Haievskyi greeted Stanislavskyi at each break, helping him to sit down. Stanislavskyi actually moves better on the pitch than he does walking to the touchline during breaks.
Once in the chair, Bodnar was beside him to make sure he had everything he needed.
This repeated throughout the week as Stanislavskyi competed in mixed doubles and men’s doubles following his singles match.
“I’m so proud of him because he’s Ukrainian and I’m Ukrainian and me and my friend Elister can support him,” Bodnar said. “For me, it’s very important to play this role in his life.”
Stanislavskyi’s future residence is uncertain. His granddaughter, Olga Bogatyrenko, lives in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. He will visit her and from there a decision will be made as to where he will settle.
And if he stays in America, Stanislavsky will enjoy every minute.
“This country supports Ukraine during the war,” he said. “It is very important for me.”
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