The former World No. 8, Daria Kasatkina, has recently shared her thoughts on acknowledging her personal identity after leaving her country, Russia and taking Australian nationality. Kasatkina, whose family still lives in Russia, decided to switch her nationality from Russian due to its severe LGBTQ laws and its stance on the invasion of Ukraine.
The Tolyatti, Russia, native has won eight WTA Tour singles titles and one doubles title. In her current season, she reached the third round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships and the round of 32 at the Canadian Open. Daria Kasatkina’s Cincinnati Open tournament run concluded in the round of 64. She is all set to compete at the 2025 US Open and will face Romanian player Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round.
During her recent appearance on the daytime television show ‘CBS Morning,’ Daria Kasatkina expressed her thoughts on her personal identity while highlighting that her family isn’t answerable for her living a life with truth and freedom.
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"My family still lives in Russia but we're separate persons so they're not responsible for my actions. And as I said I cannot hide these feelings inside me also. I want to be open and free person. So, yeah, unfortunately, this is the world we live in and I had to make this decision. But here we are and I'm happy with that." She shared (1:40 onwards)
At the 2020–21 Billie Jean King Cup, Daria Kasatkina, who was representing Russia, led the team to its first Billie Jean King Cup title since 2008. During the tournament, she clinched victory in all her matches.
This year, she got engaged to Natalia Zabiiako, a 2018 Olympic silver medalist and a notable figure skater, with whom she has been in a relationship for three years.
Daria Kasatkina reflects on her admiration for representing Australia
In 2025, tennis star Daria Kasatkina changed her nationality from Russian to Australian and became one of the top-notch Australian tennis players. She reflected on her thoughts on representing Australia via The Guardian.
"I’m still getting used to it. It’s a great feeling to represent a country like Australia. It’s just something to get used to, I guess. I’m very happy with how everyone welcomed me. The first couple of times it did feel a bit strange. Also to see this beautiful flag next to me, I’m getting more used to it, because at the beginning in the schedule I was a bit confused, but now it’s becoming better."
At the 2025 US Open, Kasatkina will represent Australia as the 15th-seeded player.
