Tennis star Daria Kasatkina, originally from Russia, explained that she felt compelled to change her nationality after publicly coming out as gay.
Born in Tolyatti, Russia, Kasatkina had always competed under the Russian flag. However, following her announcement about her sexual orientation and her criticism of Russian LGBTQ+ laws and the war in Ukraine, she has been living outside of Russia for two and a half years.
During this time, the world No. 12 has resided in Dubai and Spain. She successfully applied for permanent residency in Australia, which was approved last week, allowing her to officially switch her sporting nationality for the WTA.
Kasatkina, 27, described Monday as an emotional day as the rankings were updated to reflect her Australian nationality.
The semi-finalist of the 2022 French Open and quarter-finalist at Wimbledon in 2018, stated, “It`s my first official day as an Australian player. It feels different, honestly. It’s emotional. I need to get used to it, but I am very happy to begin this new chapter representing Australia.”
In 2022, Kasatkina publicly shared her relationship with figure skater Natalia Zabiiako. Her outspoken stance against the Russian government`s actions in Ukraine also resulted in a Russian politician`s unsuccessful attempt to label her a “foreign agent.”
Despite anticipating negative reactions in Russia, Kasatkina asserted, “Living in the closet is impossible and pointless. Being at peace with yourself is what truly matters.”
She realized the restrictions in Russia extended to even simple gestures like holding her partner`s hand in public. Her decision mirrors that of Daria Saville, formerly Gavrilova, who also changed nationalities to Australian in 2015. Saville has been supportive, welcoming Kasatkina as a “new neighbor” on social media.
Kasatkina mentioned that the decision to switch allegiances was somewhat dictated by the circumstances in her home country. “Being openly gay, I had to take this step to be true to myself,” she explained. “It`s something nice to adjust to.”
She expressed her excitement about living in Melbourne and the warm reception Australian athletes receive. “I`m looking forward to making my home there. The support for Australian players is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It will be emotional, but I believe I will enjoy it.”
Kasatkina also conveyed her gratitude on Instagram for the support she received regarding her decision, acknowledging it was “far from easy.”
Like other Russian and Belarusian players, Kasatkina had been competing without a national flag due to the repercussions of the war in Ukraine. Her first tournament representing Australia will be the Charleston Open in South Carolina, where she aims to add to her eight career titles, including her first title won in Charleston in 2017.
Other players, such as Natela Dzalamidze and Alexander Shevchenko, have also changed their represented nationality away from Russian in recent years. Elena Rybakina, born in Moscow and Wimbledon champion, switched to representing Kazakhstan in 2018 for financial reasons.
