Daria Kasatkina says Russia feels like Ukraine fearing her family’s safety due to Wagner Group mutiny
The Russian tennis player admits that competing in such situations is taking a toll on her.
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Daria Kasatkina (Credits: Yahoo sports UK)
Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina revealed in a recent interview how she fears for the safety of her loved ones in Russia amidst the Russia – Ukraine war, especially after the Wagner mercenary group attempted a coup in the Russian capital Moscow.
Moscow has been left in a precarious situation since Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner group committed a 24-hour-long mutiny. Daria confessed that she is scared for her relatives and friends who might have been caught up in the situation.
“My family, my parents are still in Russia,” she said. “As you can see, the last few days it’s been a big mess also there. “I’m worried for my friends, because my best friends they actually live in Voronezh, where the guy with the private army (Prigozhin) entered.”
Daria Kasatkina competes in Eastbourne International amidst mutiny scare back home
Busy with her tennis tour, Daria Kasatkina is currently in the UK competing in the Rothesay International at Eastbourne. She won her first–round match against Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina in a match marred by political tension.
This is her first appearance in the UK since the ban on Russian and Belarusian players in the UK grass-court swing in 2022. “I’m really glad to be back and to have this opportunity to play the tournaments, and Wimbledon included,” Kasatkina said.
She shared that the war has taken a toll on herself and other Russians too. The Russian also remarked that she does not see an end to the war anytime soon. Daria added that she engrosses in updating herself with the events of the ongoing war. She said that she uses tennis to escape from her worries. “Since the beginning of the war, I was actually following everything every day. It’s a lot. I was overwhelmed in some moments, and I’m just trying to turn off my head at least on the tennis court. It helps me a lot. When I’m on the court, I’m not thinking about it,” she said.
Kasatkina also admitted that the Ukrainians have it a lot worse than the Russians and that she is beginning to understand their plight in this war.
Currently based in Dubai, the Russian is unlikely to settle back in Russia owing to the war and their strict hatred towards homosexuals; Kasatkina came out as gay last year in a Russian interview. With Wimbledon around the corner and the ban on Russian and Belarusian players only just lifted, the scenario at Wimbledon this year could be a lot different than it has been in previous years.
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Ritesh Pathak
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