Pet initiative liked by players at Astana Open

Ravi Ubha

Who let the dogs — and cats — out at the Astana Open on Saturday? A pet shelter in the capital city as part of an initiative to help the furry friends.

They joined Mikhail Kukushkin, Francisco Cerundolo and Roberto Bautista Agut on court ahead of qualifying. Fans attending the new ATP 500 are being urged to bring pet food throughout the week, which will then be presented to Angels Heart when the tournament concludes.

The collaboration between the shelter and Kazakhstan Tennis Federation began more than a year ago and has already paid dividends.

«This is our fourth joint event,» said Gulmira Nazyrkhanova, Angels Heart’s director. «Thanks to photo shoots with eminent players, people find out about our shelter, call, ask and begin to take animals to their homes.»

She added that Kazakhstan’s Billie Jean King Cup captain, Yaroslava Shvedova, made a financial donation at the start of the year that helped to buy food and antibiotics for the animals in need.

The initiative certainly resonated with pet lovers Kukushkin, Cerundolo and Bautista Agut.

Kukushkin — the former longtime Kazakhstani No. 1 — owns a Yorkshire Terrier, Teddy.

«It was the idea of my wife to name it this way,» said the main draw wildcard. «Just a cute dog and it’s like a teddy bear.

«Of course, I love animals and dogs. It’s great to have an opportunity to help the homeless animals, to meet them, to let the people know about the dogs, cats that need the help.»

His words were echoed by Cerundolo, whose ranking of 27th sits exactly 100 spots higher than at the start of 2022.

The family’s Labrador, Milos, turns three in December back home in Argentina.

«Before that, probably I wasn’t involved in pets or animals too much,» said Cerundolo. «After that, I started loving them more and trying to help. If I’m walking around the street and there are some dogs, I say ‘hi’ and pat them.

«But I’ve never done this, to help some dogs from the streets, so it was really nice to see the people really involved with them, feeding them and giving them a home.

«I think it’s a really good initiative. I think we should do this more because there are a lot of animals on the streets.»

Yes, Milos was named after Canada’s Wimbledon finalist, Milos Raonic.

It was Cerundolo’s sister, Maria, that brought Milos home one day to the family’s surprise. But Cerundolo suspects that he is now Milos’ favourite.

«I think I’m the favourite because I’m not too much at home but when I am there he is always with me,» Cerundolo, whose brother Juan Manuel is also an ATP titlist, said with a laugh. «I don’t know if it’s because I’m not always there and once I’m there he wants to spend time with me. But if I’m not there, probably my mom is his favorite.»

Nazyrkhanova hopes her animals can find similarly warm homes.

«We are trying to give care to every animal that is left on the street,» she said. «But I’m sure that, thanks to (Saturday’s) actions the situation will change for the better and there will be fewer homeless animals in the country.»