MELBOURNE, Australia — Daria Kasatkina knows how to make an entrance.
The day before the start of Australian Openand about 30 minutes before the start of her pre-tournament press conference, Kasatkina posted on social media a photo of herself in front of the Australian flag, holding her citizenship certificate.
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“Officially Australian,” she wrote. “Happy, grateful and free. »
Kasatkina, 27, left her native Russia in March, a decision she sees as necessary to live a full life.
“For me, being openly gay, if I want to be myself, I have to take that step, and I did,” she said during a press conference at the Charleston Open in April.
Kasatkina has also openly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and that country’s invasion of Ukraine, calling the war a “real nightmare” in a 2022 interview with Vitya Kravchenko in Barcelona, Spain, posted on YouTube.
For Kasatkina, who is one of the most popular players in the proverbial WTA Tour locker room, the move represents much more than paperwork or securing additional funds and support for her career, which are often key motivators in nationality changes in tennis. In recent months, Anastasia Potapova (Austria), Kamilla Rakhimova and Polina Kudermetova (both Uzbekistan) have left Russia behind.
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“I can’t even describe how much it means, because it’s not just about the passport,” Kasatkina said on Saturday afternoon at Melbourne Park. “It’s about acceptance, let’s say, because honestly, the whole process, the support from people, from other citizens, I mean, it’s been incredible, honestly.”
“I couldn’t imagine, you know, coming from a completely different background, receiving so much support from strangers. I felt so much love.”
She said those feelings were a key motivator during a difficult 2025 in which she finished her season early and felt the pressure of criticism from her former nation and the impact of her decision weighing on her.
“I’ve had a lot of support, but I’ve also had a lot of criticism, you know, from the other side. It’s been difficult, but it’s kind of what I’ve been fighting for… for a few years,” she said.
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“I mean, even though you deal with it, it’s still a little exhausting, you know, because it’s something you can’t control, and it just keeps going and going. So when I can finally breathe and not think about it, and it’s just… Yeah.”
Kasatkina, who has been ranked No. 8 in the world and is a former French Open semi-finalist, said she doesn’t know how to repay her new country for what it has given her.
“I can’t wait for the moment when I can wear green and gold for the first time,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to this moment.”
She’ll have a similar opportunity to that on Monday, when she faces Nikola Bartůňková, another rising talent from Czechia with deceptive power and incredible finesse. This will be Kasatkina’s first chance to play a “Slam at home” match, an experience that only players from Australia, France, the United States and Great Britain can experience.
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“A truly special chapter of my life,” she said. “I’m going to try to enjoy it as much as possible.”
This article was originally published in Athletics.
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