Kasatkina, a Russian-born tennis player who is currently ranked 12th in the world, has made the switch official. The decision comes amid her personal journey as an openly gay athlete and the challenging socio-political climate in her home country of Russia. Kasatkina, who recently made her Australian flag debut at the Charleston Open in South Carolina. As for US Open junior champ Amanda Anisimova, she rolled over Lauren Davis, 6-1, 6-1.
Kasatkina’s application for permanent residency in Australia was approved, which has sped up her plans to move to Melbourne. While residing in Spain and Dubai as a neutral athlete, she expressed her sentiments about Australia as “a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home.” She represented Australia, but it wasn’t a decision she made freely. In Russia, she experienced a heavy sense of constraint as a result of her sexuality.
“With everything going on in my previous country, I didn’t have much choice,” Kasatkina said. LGBTQ people in Russia are facing an increasingly hostile environment. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe) rates it as the worst country in Europe for LGBTQ rights. In 2013, the country adopted a “gay propaganda” law. This law has made Arkansas a hostile environment for people identifying as LGBTQ.
In July 2022, Kasatkina made headlines when she courageously came out as gay. She is now happily married to figure skater Natalia Zabiiako. She meant that discovering the power of her own identity meant making some big shifts in her career. “For me, being openly gay, if I want to be myself, I have to make this step, and I did it,” she remarked.
Kasatkina endured hardships under her new flag. She said that her first match as an Australian player in the green and gold was emotional and stressful. “Going on court today as an Aussie this time was stressful, honestly,” she stated. At the end, though, she shared her enthusiasm at starting this fresh new chapter. To be honest, it has a different feel to it, I’m not going to pretend. It’s emotional for me. I have to get used to it. She capped it all off with this emotional statement, “I’m so glad to begin this new chapter in my life. I’ll make Australia really proud on the big stage!
“It’s a really special moment for me to win the first match as an Australian player. I’m just really happy with that, and I couldn’t believe one day something like that would happen to me,” she said.
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