Daria Kasatkina pays tribute to her ‘Boss’ Gerard Pique as the Spanish great retired after playing his final match for Barcelona
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Daria Kasatkina and Gerard Pique
World No. 8 Daria Kasatkina‘s season came to an end in the group stages of the WTA Finals 2022. The Russian star was humbled by Caroline Garcia, who won 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) after a grueling battle in Fort Worth. Kasatkina was looking for her first win at the year-end championships, but she would have to try her luck next year.
Kasatkina was first defeated by World No. 1 Polish Iga Swiatek in her first group stage match. The Russian, however, returned strongly to defeat Coco Gauff in the second round, making the clash with Garcia a virtual quarter-final. However, it was the Frenchwoman’s night as she is now in the finals after going past none other than Greek tennis player Maria Sakkari in the semis.
In the other part of the world, football icon Gerard Pique called it quits on his career. A World Cup winner with Spain, the defender played for the Spanish football club Barcelona for his entire career, having joined the club as a kid. The footballer’s last match coincided with Kasatkina’s defeat and the Russian was quite upset about one of her sporting idols stepping away from the sport.
“It’s really a shit day, huh? Well, I mean, Gerard, he’s obviously the legend of Barcelona. And he’s one of the greatest players for me, I think, in the history of the club. Unfortunately, he had to finish, you know, not in the not the best way. But, I mean, he brings to the club and to the fans so many amazing memories.
“When I started to follow Barca, he was the player, so I remember him since the first day supporting the club. I’m kind of getting used to legends quitting Barca, unfortunately, but he had a great career, and I wish him all the best. He’s kind of my boss as well, because he owns the agent company where I am.
“So, this chapter is closed. Next one is going to be open. I know it probably it’s very tough for him now, but he’s a great figure, so I think he’s gonna do everything well and I wish him all the best,” Kasatkina said in her post-match press conference after the defeat to Garcia.
Daria Kasatkina finishes the year with a 40-20 record and 2 titles
Kasatkina started the year ranked World No. 26 and will be finishing as the World No. 8. During the season, she won two titles with both victories coming on hard courts. Her first title came at the WTA-500 San Jose Open in the USA, while the second one came at the WTA-250 Championnats de Granby in Canada.
At the Grand Slams, she reached the third round at the Australian Open and the semi-finals at the French Open. She was not allowed to compete at Wimbledon due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players because of the ongoing Ukraine War. At the US Open, she suffered a shocking first-round exit. With a good run throughout the 60 matches that she had played, Kasatkina finished the season with a whooping 40-20 record.
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Sarthak Shitole
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