Sergiy Stakhovsky offers perspective on crisis in native Ukraine

Anti-government protesters guard the perimeter of Independence Square last month in Kiev, Ukraine.

Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

In December, during my preseason training, I watched the Russian TV channels and saw how they described the events in Ukraine. I can put my hand on my heart and say that 80 percent of the information on Russian TV about Ukraine in these past three month has been a LIE. Many may not know that Ukraine is actually a poor country (same as Russia), with an average GDP per capita of about $6,400 in 2012, according to Businessweek.com. The majority of the population does not use the Internet. The only information they get is either from TV or newspapers. So their opinion on the situation is based on what they see on TV and that picture is not reflective of reality.

Sergiy Stakhovsky has played a full tennis schedule this year amid the unrest in his native Ukraine.

Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Sergiy Stakhovsky, 28, a professional tennis player since 2003, is ranked No. 83 in singles on the ATP Tour. Follow him on Twitter @Stako_tennis.