When Daria Kasatkina took to court on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at the Charleston Open, she did so as no longer a Russian tennis player. She had changed her nationality and become an Aussie and played Lauren Davis as an Australian tennis player for the first time in her life.
So why had the Russia-born Kasatkina, who had represented Russia throughout her career between 2011 and 2025, suddenly changed her allegiance to become an Australian citizen? If you asked Kasatkina this question, she would say she was left with no choice.
Speaking to the media at the start of the Charleston Open in 2025, Kasatkina said:
“It’s my first official day as an Australian player. Honestly, it feels different, I’m not going to lie. It’s emotional for me. I have to get used to it. But I’m really happy to start this new chapter of my life representing Australia on the big stage.”
When asked about the switch, she responded:
“With everything going on in my previous country, I didn’t have much choice.”
The “everything going on” refers to the two aspects of life that Kasatkina has spoken against and reckons there is no going back to her former country after that.
One, Kasatkina had come out as a lesbian in 2023 and secondly, had spoken against Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Russia has a strong anti-gay view and calls LGBTQ+ movement as extremist and those supporting it as terrorists, thereby criminalising its advocacy. And Kasatkina has already run the danger of being called a traitor for not supporting the war against Ukraine.
There had been murmurs that Kasatkina was planning to turn to Spain or Estonia to become a permanent resident of but in the end, she opted for Australia. Kasatkina currently trains her tennis in Spain while her partner Natalia Zabiiako is from Estonia.
Natalia Zabiiako is an Estonian-born figure skater who has also competed for Russia, representing them in the 2018 Winter Olympics which was held in Pyeongchang. She was engaged to Danil Grinkin, a film director in Russia before breaking up and came out in 2022 as a queer, announcing that she was in a relationship with Kasatkina.
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What has been the response to the Kasatkina shift? Tennis Australia, for one, looks chuffed. They would have long wanted a top 10 player and following the retirement of Ash Barty, there haven’t been too many who have come close to challenging that spot.
At the time of shifting her allegiance, Kasatkina was still a couple of spots away from the top 10 spot but she has made it there in the past and the hope is that with one lesser worry, it would help her focus on that goal.
Australia have been a seven-time Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup) winner but they last won the title in 1974. And while they were runner-up in 2022, Kasatkina’s entry will give them hope of a winning change in the next few years.
Messages welcoming Kasatkina to their fold were abound.
The Australian Open official handled posted, “Dasha Down Under. A warm welcome.”
The Tennis Australia account said, “Welcome to the Aussie tennis family.”
Even Daria Saville, who herself was born in Russia and represented them till 2015 before switching over to Australia after her marriage to Luke Saville, said, “New neighbour.”
On the other hand, there were a few on social media who weren’t happy with her decision and poured their scorn at Kasatkin, calling her a traitor.
