After giving up Russian nationality, openly gay tennis star Daria Kasatkina joins fiancée Natalia to show public support for LGBTQ+ community

July 20, 2025

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Daria Kasatkina was recently seen showing support for the LGBTQ+ community alongside her fianceé, Natalia Zabiiako, at the Barcelona Pride event. The World No. 18 women’s singles player recently changed her Russian nationality to Australian and is also representing the latter in tennis.

Kasatkina was last seen competing at Wimbledon on July 5, where she couldn’t advance further than the third round. She competed against Liudmila Samsonova in the third round, who dominated the match with a straight two-set win of 6-2, 6-3.

Before starting her preparations for the 2025 US Open, Kasatkina was spotted supporting the LGBTQ+ community with her fianceé, Zabiiako, at the Barcelona Pride 2025 event. She shared a few pictures of herself showcasing the Pride community flag with her fianceé on Instagram on Sunday, July 20.

The tennis player came out as gay in July 2022 by publicly sharing her relationship with Zabiiako, a Russian-Estonian competitive pair skater. After dating for almost three years, the couple announced their engagement last month.

The 2025 season has been about major changes for the 28-year-old, as with the engagement, she also gave up her Russian nationality in March 2025, after getting permanent residency in Australia. Kasatina revealed that she couldn't live a free and open life in Russia.

Daria Kasatkina opened up about her and Natalia Zabiiako's wedding plans

Daria Kasatkina went down on one knee and proposed to Natalia Zabiiako, on the former's 28th birthday celebration on May 7. During the party, one of her close friends and the Russian-born Australian tennis player, Daria Saville, gifted her a special metal ring, which sparked the idea of popping the question to Zabiiako.

Amid the dinner, Kasatkina went on one knee and asked her girlfriend the special question of getting married. The couple got engaged to each other after Zabiiako finally said yes, and they announced on social media in June. Shortly after this special day, in an interview with WTA, the Australian player opened up about her wedding plans with her fianceé.

"We're planning a wedding. It's pretty serious. There's no way back," Daria Kasatkina said. "Next to the sea, with the closest people. I think it's going to be, not a big wedding, quite small. But yeah, we're for sure going to have a great time with closest people, friends, and family."

Showcasing her eagerness for the special day to arrive, she added:

"I'm really waiting for this moment because it's going to be a very nice party."

On the tennis side, Daria Kasatkina opened her 2025 season by competing at the Brisbane International. She reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, her career-best finish at the opening major of the season.

About the author

An English Honors graduate, Nancy is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering US Olympic sports. She has a total experience of 4 years, having previously worked as a Marketing Executive for BYJU’S before finding her footing at SK.

To deliver the best content, Nancy keeps herself updated by reading as much as possible about the athletes and the sport, and believes that researching and trusting credible sources is the key to reporting ethical and accurate information.

Track and Field events particularly interest Nancy, and she is a fan of Allyson Felix. While she cherished each of her victories, her favorite Olympic moment happens to be the retired athlete’s 10th medal at the Games.

Nancy believes that covering the personal lives and training sessions of the Olympic athletes, and showcasing old podcasts or interviews would help bridge the coverage gap of the sport in its off season.

When away from her keyboard, Nancy spends most of her free time reading books. She also writes poems and plans on publishing a book.

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