Russian-born Daria Kasatkina on Monday said that she was emotional and excited to begin a fresh chapter in her career under the Australian flag at the Charleston Open after being granted permanent residency last week.
The 27-year-old has been playing on the WTA Tour as a neutral athlete after Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing under their own flags following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, for which Belarus has been a staging ground.
“It’s my first official day as an Australian player,” said Kasatkina, who dipped into Australian colloquialism and referred to reporters in Charleston as “mates.”
Photo: AFP
“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,” she said.
Kasatkina, who was born in the western Russian city of Tolyatti, has not returned to the nation in more than two years after coming out as gay and being one of the few players to have publicly spoken out against the war.
Russia has designated the LGBT movement as extremist and those supporting it as terrorists, paving the way for serious criminal cases against LGBT people and their advocates.
World No. 12 Kasatkina, who lives in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and trains in Spain, now plans to make Melbourne her home.
“With everything going on in my previous country, I didn’t have much choice,” Kasatkina said about her decision to switch her nationality. “For me, being openly gay, if I want to be myself, I have to make this step, and I did it.”
Kasatkina received a first-round bye and plays either Lauren Davis or Jamie Loeb in the Charleston second round when the 2017 champion is to be introduced as representing Australia for the first time on court.
“I have to get used to it a little bit, because for a couple of years I didn’t hear anything, but it’s something nice to get used to,” Kasatkina said.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
RSS