"I'm thinking of you...I hope everything will calm down soon. Tell me where I can send you help...financial help or any other kind of help...", he said. wrote "Nole" in a WhatsApp conversation posted by the Ukrainian on Instagram.

The former world No.31, known for beating Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013, retired aged 36 following the Australian Open earlier this year before heading to Kyiv to take up arms .

Several other Ukrainian athletes have done the same, such as two-time Olympic boxing champion Vasiliy Lomachenko and former world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

© 2022 AFP