The Abu Dhabi Open has apologized to Russian world number 11 Daria Kasatkina for an administrative error that listed her as a Spanish player in the tournament’s draw ceremony on Sunday and sparked speculation she had changed nationality.
Kasatkina plays on the tour as a neutral athlete because Russian and Belarusian players are banned from competing under their own flags due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, for which Belarus was used as a playing field.
The 27-year-old’s name next to the Spanish flag in the draw for the WTA 500 event raised eyebrows, before Kasatkina’s team denied changing allegiance and organizers apologized for the mistake.
“We sincerely apologize for the error made by one of our suppliers during the live draw, who indicated an incorrect nationality next to the name of Daria Kasatkina,” organizers said in a statement posted on social media.
“This was entirely an administrative error and it has been corrected.”
Kasatkina, who has not returned to Russia for more than two years after coming out as gay and being one of the few Russian players to publicly speak out against the war, lives in Dubai but also trains in Spain.
“This is inaccurate and we can categorically deny that she is moving to Spain,” Kasatkina’s team told the BBC.
“This will have strong implications for Daria if Russian authorities believe she is trying to change countries, which is not the case.”
Reuters
