"One of the best decisions of the last year" - Kasatkina on coming out
WTA
Daria Kasatkina opened up about her relationship and sexual orientation last year, and now she calls it one of the best decisions.
Living while not being able to publicly show affection to your significant other is certainly challenging. Kasatkina experienced that, as for a long time, her relationship with figure skater Natalia Zabiiako was not public.
That changed in 2022 when Kasatkina publicly came out. That was a brave move, especially since the LGBTQ+ policies in Russia, as the topic is a big taboo in the country.
Still, it didn't stop the Russian players from making her sexuality public. She received a lot of support from fellow WTA players, and now, some time after coming out, she could reflect on that move.
Kasatkina will enter the 2023 Australian Open as the eighth seed and one of the dark horses to win the title. Ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season, she spoke to the reporters present, discussing the topic of her coming out.
"To be honest it helped me. I actually felt less pressure over my shoulders [afterwards] because when you have to think about tennis, but also think about some deep things inside your head, it’s just not good."
Naturally, Kasatkina was probably a bit scared of the reaction before making the decision. But now, she can say that she received plenty of support from everyone around her, and talking about her relationship publicly lifted some weight off her shoulders.
"I remember after saying all these things I felt just much better. I think it was one of the best decisions of the last year and I’m happy with the outcome, happy with how the things were going after that. Of course (thanks) to the people who were next to me and supporting me. Everything went quite well."
