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Daria Kasatkina Opens Up on Pressure of Representing Australia in First Match Since Switch

Posted : 05 January 2026

Daria Kasatkina expressed deep emotions after competing in Australia for the first time since changing her national allegiance from Russia. The 28-year-old, who openly identifies as gay, made the switch in March 2025, citing her criticism of Russia’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues and her opposition to the war in Ukraine.

Her debut in Brisbane came after a challenging year both mentally and emotionally, with Kasatkina admitting she felt almost overwhelmed by the warm reception from the home crowd.

The former world No. 8, now ranked 40th, faced Anastasia Potapova in the first round, ultimately losing in three sets.

Potapova herself had stopped representing Russia last year and now competes for Austria. “Honestly, when I was stepping on court with all the cheers, I almost started crying,” Kasatkina said.

“I wanted to win so badly and feel the extra energy from the crowd, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.”

Kasatkina ended her 2025 season early, describing herself as being at a “breaking point” in October, but said she is now focused on moving past that period.

Reflecting on the pressure of representing her new country, she admitted, “Only I put this pressure on myself because I want to show, I want to represent Australia and deliver results. When it doesn’t happen, I feel bad, even though nobody else expects it of me.”

Her switch comes amid a broader trend in women’s tennis, with four Russian players changing nationalities in 2025. Alongside Kasatkina and Potapova, Kamilla Rakhimova and Maria Timofeeva chose to represent Uzbekistan. Kasatkina revealed she is uncertain if more players will follow suit, describing future nationality changes as a “confidential” matter.

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