Daria Kasatkina had “no choice” but to switch to Australia!

Tennis star Daria Kasatkina, who was born in Russia, claimed that her sexual orientation “didn’t have much choice” in her decision to represent Australia.

After revealing last week that her application for permanent residency in Australia had been approved, Kasatkina is getting ready to compete for the first time under a new flag at the Charleston Open.

While competing as a neutral athlete amid Russia’s escalating invasion of Ukraine, she has lived in Spain and Dubai in recent years.

Regarding his decision to change his nationality, Kasatkina stated, “With everything going on in my previous country, I didn’t have much choice,” according to Reuters. “As an openly gay person, I had to take this step to be myself, and I did.”

Currently ranked 12th in the world, Kasatkina came out as homosexual in July 2022 and is currently dating Natalia Zabiiako, a figure skater.

Despite Russia’s 1993 decriminalization of same-sex unions, things have changed recently. The nation enacted a “gay propaganda” ban in 2013, which has been

Then, in December 2022, President Vladimir Putin approved a bill expanding the 2013 law, making it unlawful for anybody to advocate for same-sex relationships or to imply that non-heterosexual orientations are “normal.”

Russia is the third-worst country in Europe for LGBTQ persons, after Turkey and Azerbaijan, according to ILGA-Europe, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ rights in Europe.

Adding that Australia “is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home,” Kasatkina said on Instagram last week that she now intends to reside in Melbourne.

Before facing American Lauren Davis in Charleston, South Carolina, in the second round, the 27-year-old stated: “I won’t lie, it feels different. For me, it’s emotional. I need to adjust to it. However, I’m thrilled to begin this new chapter of my life by representing Australia on a major platform.

Going on court for the first time as an Australian is “stressful,” according to Kasatkina.

In her debut as an Australian, Kasatkina defeated Davis 6-1, 6-1.

Furthermore, Kasatkina did not view the scoreline as indicating that her victory was simple.

In an interview on the Tennis Channel set, Kasatkina stated, “Honestly, it was stressful to go on court today as an Aussie.” “Let’s say that this week was a little stressful overall because of all the modifications, criticism, and other things.

“All of the stress that the tennis player is experiencing bursts when she goes onto the court. That’s how it functions. It wasn’t easy, to be honest, but I’m incredibly delighted with how I handled that scenario today.

In her interview, Kasatkina also revealed that she was watching a Tennis Channel show on Tuesday when the Wednesday schedule appeared on the screen, together with an Australian flag next to her name. She remarked, “Oh my God!”

“Winning my first match as an Australian player is a special moment for me,” Kasatkina remarked. “I’m just really content with that, and I couldn’t have imagined that I would experience something similar someday.”

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