Kasatkina gay

Russian-born tennis player Daria Kasatkina is switching allegiances to Australia after her application for permanent residency was accepted.

The year-old Kasatkina was a French Open semifinalist in and is currently ranked 12th in the world. The eight-time WTA singles champion’s best career ranking was eighth.

Kasatkina has been playing on the tour as a neutral athlete after Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing under their own flags following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in

In an Instagram upload on Friday, Kasatkina said she was pleased to have gained permanent residency in Australia, which was later confirmed by Tennis Australia.

“I am delighted to let you all comprehend that my application for permanent residency has been accepted by the Australian government,” Kasatkina said. “Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home.

“I love being in Melbourne and look forward to making my abode there. As part of this, I am pleased to announce that I will be representing my new homeland Australia, in my professional tennis career from this point onwards.”

Kasa
kasatkina gay

Kasatkina 'given guarantees' on shelter of gay players in Saudi

Human Rights Watch told the BBC in December that Saudi courts had convicted people for promoting homosexuality online and added "LGBT people in Saudi Arabia have to practise extreme self-censorship to persist their daily lives".

In response, Arij Almutabagani - the president of the Saudi Tennis Federation - said gay players would not need to act any differently to the way they do in places like Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where WTA tournaments are already staged.

"People can behave the way they want to - there is nothing that says you can or you cannot behave. You just have to understand that every country has its rules and traditions," she said.

"It's the same thing that has happened in Dubai. How do they act in Dubai? We are the same, we are all neighbours. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE - how would the players behave there?"

WTA principal executive Steve Simon has said representatives of the LGBTQ+ community were included on fact-finding trips to Saudi Arabia, before the deal for the WTA Finals was concluded.

Tunisia’s planet number nine Ons Jabeur has also reiterated her

Openly gay Russian tennis celebrity Daria Kasatkina admits she had “no choice” but to leave Russia for Australia

Russia-born tennis star Daria Kasatkina, who came out in , has spoken about her decision to switch nationalities and initiate professionally representing Australia, admitting she had “no choice” but to leave Russia because she is openly gay.

Speaking about her conclusion, Kasatkina, who is in a relationship with Russian-Estonian figure skater Natalia Zabiiako, said: “I’m really delighted to start this modern chapter of my experience representing Australia on the big stage.”

Kasatkina’s decision to leave Russia didn’t approach as much of a surprise. As well as being openly gay, she has publicly condemned the country’s actions in the war against Ukraine.

In , she revealed she had not returned to her birth nation since before the war began more than a year earlier.

But the year-old has now explained that it was her sexuality that was the driving force behind her decision to switch nationalities. She continued: “With everything going on in my previous country, I didn’t have much choice.

“For me, being openly-gay, if I want to be myself, I have to make this step, and I did it.

“Australia

By George Ramsay and Jill Martin, CNN

(CNN) — Russian-born tennis player Daria Kasatkina said that she “didn’t have much choice” about the decision to contend for Australia due to her sexuality.

Kasatkina is preparing to play under a new flag for the first time at the Charleston Open after announcing last week that her application for permanent residency in Australia had been accepted.

In recent years, she has been living in Spain and Dubai while competing as a neutral athlete amid Russia’s progressing invasion of Ukraine.

“With everything going on in my previous country, I didn’t have much choice,” Kasatkina said about choosing to switch nationality, per Reuters. “For me, being openly gay, if I crave to be myself, I have to make this step, and I did it.”

Kasatkina, currently ranked 12th in the world, came out as gay in July and is in a relationship with figure skater Natalia Zabiiako.

Though queer relationships were decriminalized in Russia in , the tides have recently shifted. In , the state passed a “gay propaganda” law, which has been used to target the LGBTQ community, according to The Council for Global Equality.

President Vladimir Putin then signed a bill br