Kasatkina Explains Why She 'Didn't Have Much Choice' About Switching To Australia
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Daria Kasatkina has opened up about choosing to represent Australia instead of Russia, revealing that she felt her country of birth left her with no choice.
Kasatkina revealed she had switched allegiances a few days ago. There had been speculation about it in the past after the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open listed her as being Spanish, something they later retracted and apologized for.
Many have feared for Kasatkina's safety in Russia for two reasons. Firstly, she has spoken out strongly against Russia's ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine. Players from the country have played under neutral banners since the invasion was launched over three years ago.
Secondly, Kasatkina is openly gay and regularly does videos alongside her girlfriend on YouTube. Gay people in Russia face persecution and do not enjoy the same rights that they do in countries like Australia.
Speaking ahead of the ongoing 2025 Charleston Open, Kasatkina said that what is happening in Russia, including how they treat gay people, meant she felt switching allegiances was necessary.
"With everything going on in my previous country, I didn't have much choice. For me, being openly gay, if I want to be myself, I have to make this step, and I did it."
Kasatkina also admitted to being touched by the support she has received from other Australian players and Tennis Australia's representatives and is excited about the future.
"Coming to Australia every year, seeing how much support the players from Australia get there - honestly, I never experienced something like that in my life. I'm not used to it, so it's also going to be interesting to me to see how I'm going to feel coming back to Australia and play as a new Aussie."
"It's going to be emotional, for sure, but I think I'm going to enjoy it. [I'm] really looking forward to it. First step is Charleston; still a long way to go before the next year, but yeah, I'm really happy and excited."
"I've gotten so many messages from my now-teammates and also the representatives of Tennis Australia. I've gotten a lot of support, nice messages. I cannot wait to meet with all of them in person and talk and go through the process and just go through what happens."
It is wonderful to hear how secure Kasatkina already feels about her decision. She has not been in Russia for over two years, almost certainly out of fear due to her comments about the Ukraine war and being openly gay.
Kasatkina will hope to improve her results since the start of 2025 after that decision. She had a terrific 2024 season, winning two titles, reaching six finals, and coming very close to qualifying for the year-end 2024 WTA Finals.
Making the switch allows Kasatkina to represent Australia at the Billie Jean King Cup. The qualifying round for this year's iteration of the team event takes place next week, although many top players will be missing.
Iga Swiatek is among those who have chosen not to compete. The four-time French Open winner revealed why she had made that difficult decision, meaning her next tournament will be the 2025 Stuttgart Open, starting April 14th.
