Russian No. 2 Daria Kasatkina Starts Representing Australia
News
Daria Kasatkina will no longer represent Russia after announcing that she will start representing Australia.
Kasatkina has been one of Russia's most successful tennis players in recent years. For some time, she was the Russian No. 1 player, until she was recently overtaken by 17-year-old phenom Mirra Andreeva.
Although Kasatkina is currently ranked as the second-highest ranked player from her country, she became her country's No. 1 once again, but not because of an improvement on the rankings, but because of a nationality switch.
The 27-year-old player made a difficult decision and chose to apply for permanent residency in Australia. Now, she announced that her application was accepted by the Australian Government, which means she immediately became an Australian player.
That also means Kasatkina will be her country's No. 1. Currently, the highest-ranked Australian is the World No. 68, Kimberly Birrell. Kasatkina is ranked 12th in the world.
"I am delighted to let you all know that my application for permanent residency has been accepted by the Australian Government. Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home."
"I love being in Melbourne and look forward to making my home there. As part of this, I am proud to announce that I will be representing my new homeland, Australia, in my professional tennis career from this point onwards."
For Kasatkina, making this decision wasn't easy. However, after she previously opened up about her sexuality, the Russian-born player knew that returning to her homeland might be impossible because of the country's view on the LGBTQ+ community.
"Obviously, there are parts of this decision that have not been easy. I want to express my thanks and gratitude to my family, coaches, and everyone who has supported me throughout my tennis journey to date."
In her statement, Kasatkina mentioned that she would never forget where she came from, but at the same time, she couldn't wait to start representing Australia.
"I will always have respect and fond appreciation for my roots, but I am thrilled to start this new chapter in my career and my life under the Australian flag. Thank you all for your understanding and continued support."
Paradoxically, it was Kasatkina who was recently part of a controversy related to her citizenship. A Spanish flag appeared next to her name in the Abu Dhabi Open draw, but the tournament organizers explained that it was just a technical error.
Maybe it was a sign of things to come, because Kasatkina indeed changed her nationality, and she will make her debut as an Australian already at the upcoming Charleston Open.
