Over the past three years, Daria Kasatkina has faced a harsh reality: the country where she was born, raised, and achieved so much in tennis refuses to accept her for who she is. Just four months after coming out as gay in 2022, the Russian government passed laws targeting and criminalizing homosexuality, making it impossible for her to feel safe or supported at home. This ultimately played a key role in her decision to change her nationality

Kasatkina explained that the most important thing for her now is being accepted as she truly is. “The main things are that I have been accepted for the person I am. I can feel safe here,” she said.

“This is the most important because unfortunately not everywhere in the world right now you can feel like that. Australia is one of the places where I feel people come together and the philosophy of mateship is the best,” she further added.

For Daria Kasatkina, switching allegiance to Australia in March 2025 was a major turning point in both her career and personal life. The 28-year-old has been outspoken against Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and has cited safety concerns “as a gay person who opposes the war,” as the key reason for leaving the country.

She hasn’t returned to Russia since February 2022 and spent the years leading up to her permanent residency living in Dubai.

Her decision came amid increasingly strict laws in Russia targeting LGBTQ+ people. For those who don’t know, in 2023, the courts ruled against pro-LGBTQ+ movements, adding to the uncertainty and danger for Kasatkina. While competing internationally under a neutral flag, she spent much of her time reflecting on whether it was time to make a permanent change.

By changing her sporting nationality, Kasatkina now ensured she could continue competing at the highest level while safeguarding her personal freedom. This move follows a broader trend among Russian and Belarusian athletes, who have switched their allegiances in recent years.

Meanwhile, when her former compatriot Anastasia Potapova announced she would represent Austria starting in 2026, it drew widespread attention in the tennis world. long with that, what else made waves was how Daria Kasatkina reacted to the news.

Daria Kasatkina drops reaction to shocking Russian nationality change

Anastasia Potapova recently announced on Instagram that her application for Austrian citizenship had been approved, expressing how much she loves Austria and feels at home in Vienna.

“I am delighted to let you all know that my application for citizenship has been accepted by the Austrian Government. Austria is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home. I love being in Wien and look forward to making my second home there,” she wrote.

Fans quickly noticed that the wording of Potapova’s announcement was very similar to Daria Kasatkina’s nationality change post earlier this year, with the only real difference being the country name: ‘Australia’ versus ‘Austria.’ One fan even joked, “Not she copying Dasha’s words but only replaced Australia with Austria,” sparking curiosity about how Kasatkina might react.

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Ultimately, Daria Kasatkina responded on social media with a single skull emoji, keeping her reaction short. She then clarified further, adding a laughing emoji and writing, “And no, we are not from same agency,” making it clear that the posts weren’t coordinated by the same PR team. Her response showed that she found the situation funny and dismissed any idea of intentional copying.

That said, do you think Daria Kasatkina’s nationality switch will change how fans view her journey on and off the court?