Australian number one Daria Kasatkina is stepping away from tennis for the rest of the year, saying she is “at breaking point” after a grueling year on tour.
Kasatkina, who changed nationality from Russia to Australia this year, immediately becoming national number one, blamed the “emotional and mental stress” of the change, the strain of not seeing family and the relentless schedule of the tennis tour.
“I have been far from good for a long time and, truth be told, my results and performances show it. The fans are not stupid, they see it too,” she wrote on social media.
“The truth is I’ve hit a wall and I can’t continue. I need a break. A break from the monotonous daily grind of the tour, the suitcases, the results, the pressure, the same faces (sorry girls), everything that comes with this life.
“There are limits to what I can handle and accept as an individual woman, while still competing against the best female athletes in the world.
“If this makes me weak, so be it, I am weak. However, I know that I am strong and that I will become strong by being away, by recharging, by regrouping and by re-energizing. It is time that I listen to myself to change, my mind, my heart and my body.”
Kasatkina chose to change nationality after leaving Russia fearing for his safety after criticizing the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws and the war against Ukraine.
Initially living in Dubai, she moved to Melbourne and became a permanent resident of Australia in March.
Kasatkina’s best results in 2025 were fourth rounds at the Australian and French Opens. (Getty Images: Elsa)
She then became engaged to her long-term girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako, a former Olympic figure skater, who won a silver medal for Russia at the 2018 Winter Olympics, after competing for her native Estonia.
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Kasatkina said she had not been able to see her father, who remained in Russia, for four years.
A semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2022, Kasatkina has not reached a Slam quarter-final since and has finished the last four calendar years in the top 10, but is currently 19th after a modest season in which she won 19 matches and lost 21 matches.
Kasatkina’s last match ended in a comprehensive 6-3, 6-0 defeat to world number 81 Sonay Kartal at the China Open in Beijing late last month.
Kasatkina is the third high-profile player to join the ‘2025 Team Club’ after Paula Badosa and Elina Svitolina, and there has recently been a string of players retiring mid-match, with professional burnout, a watchword on the men’s and women’s circuits in 2025.
“The schedule is too busy, mentally and emotionally, I’m at breaking point and unfortunately I’m not alone,” she wrote, adding that she didn’t want to appear ungrateful for her “incredible life” as a professional tennis player.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has made it mandatory for top players to participate in at least 20 events, including all four Grand Slam tournaments, 10 WTA 1,000 events and six 500-level tournaments.
World number two Iga Świątek said last month: “It’s simply impossible to fit it into the calendar. Maybe I will have to choose some tournaments and skip them, even if they are obligatory.
“We need to be smart about it – not really worry about the rules and just think about what’s healthy for us.”
Kasatkina will almost certainly be out of the top 20 by the time his first bow as home favorite at the Australian Open arrives.
The 28-year-old said she will be back in 2026, “energized and ready to rock”, and has spoken in the past about her excitement at the prospect of playing a grand slam at home.
Australia’s current number two is Maya Joint, ranked 35th in the world.
She was in action Monday at the Wuhan Open, beating Lin Zhu 7-5, 7-6 (12-10) to advance to the last 32.
There she will meet Kateřina Siniaková, who eliminated 15th seed Diana Schneider 6-4, 6-4.
Joint is the only Australian at the WTA 1000 event.
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