“I was ready for some negative reaction,” Daria Kasatkina opens up on love, war, and her struggles since coming out
Daria Kasatkina reflects on opening up about her challenges last year.
Follow Us
Daria Kasatkina
Russia’s top women’s tennis player, Daria Kasatkina recently opened up on her struggles after coming out gay. The 25-year-old had a fantastic 2022 on the court, making it to the top 10 in the WTA rankings. However, her off-court actions brought her much attention and love from the fans and audience. Although a Russian, she never hesitated to talk against and condemned the war in Ukraine. She also opened up about her sexuality and criticized her country’s point of view on homosexuality.
Fans appreciated her for her bravery and strength to admit it knowing the difficulties. She did all this knowing the risks involved and the repercussions that will follow. Overall, she might have had a good run on the court, but she faced some tough challenges in her personal life. And yet she said that it was all worth it and she is happy about her decisions.
Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, she said “This topic is very sensitive, so I was ready for some negative reaction, but there was nothing like that. I’m very thankful because that makes me feel so good. Some of the players were coming to me, sometimes they’re still coming to me, to say ‘yeah, it’s cool’ or ‘congrats’ to me. That’s nice.”
Related: What is the heat rule at the Australian Open?
Daria Kasatkina’s struggles in 2022
Being a Russian, Daria was banned from playing at Wimbledon and lost the opportunity to finish higher. She also announced her relationship with Natalia Zabiiako, a professional skater. She was staying away from her parents due to the conditions at home and that they could hamper her career.
Speaking about these hardships she said “Of course I’m worried. I have so many friends and people I know from Ukraine and hearing the stories, what they’re telling me. It’s painful because I’m thinking, imagine if I’m in their spot.”
In addition to this, she said “It’s very tough. And it’s been almost a year living in these circumstances. I want this to end as soon as possible, but unfortunately, it’s not depending on us. They’re my friends and I want to show them love and support because it’s very tough. For them, it’s more difficult.”
She was happy about her ban lift at Wimbledon and is looking forward to playing there after missing it last year. Currently, she is focusing on the 2023 Australian Open after losing the finals to Belinda Bencic at the Adelaide International.
Continue Reading:
Australian Open makes its policy clear on Russian flags after Ukrainian Ambassador’s complaints
Stay Updated!
Santhosh Tenneti
(308 Articles Published)