Born in Daria Kasatkina, she will play under Australian flag on the tennis tour. This was announced by the world ranking twelfth on Instagram. She described Australia as her “new home” that the country had granted her application for “permanent stay”.
Kasatkina (27) is one of the few athletes from Russia who publicly criticize their homeland. She described the war of attack on Ukraine as “nightmare”, in 2022 she came out as gay. In the same interview, she broke out in tears after the question of whether she would ever return to Russia.
“I love Australia, here I feel incredibly welcome and totally at home,” wrote Kasatkina. In Melbourne, where the Australian Open takes place, where they were in the round of 16 this year, they want to become at home.
Of course, this decision was not only easy for her, she added and thanked her family and coaches for the support. “I will always respect and appreciate my roots, but I’m really looking forward to this new chapter of my career and my life under Australian flag.”
Kasatkina was last behind top talent Mirra Andreeva (17) the second best Russian player in the world rankings. At the WTA tours tournaments, Russians have been led under neutral status since the attack on Ukraine.
The Tennis Australia association welcomed Kasatkina’s change on social media: “A warm welcome to the Australian tennis family, Dasha.”