More than two years after fleeing her country because she’s gay, out Russian tennis star Daria Kasatkina announced over the weekend she’s been granted permanent residency in Australia.
“I am delighted to let you all know that my application for permanent residency has been accepted by the Australian Government,” Kasatkina said in a post to Instagram.
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Russia’s top tennis player Daria Kasatkina comes out
“Judging by [the way] things are going now, it will never be OK” for LGBTQ people to hold hands in public, she said.
“Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home.”
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“Obviously, there are parts of this decision that have not been easy,” she added. “I will always have respect and fond appreciation of my roots.”
The one-time Russian No. 1 will now represent her new home country.
“Tennis Australia warmly welcomes Daria, currently ranked world No.12, to the Australian tennis family. Effective immediately, Daria will compete as an Australian and we wish her all the best for her upcoming tournaments,” Australia’s governing body for tennis said in a statement.
Kasatkina fled Russia in 2022 after coming out as a lesbian and spent more than two years in exile in Dubai and Spain.
Her first match under Australia’s banner is at this week’s Charleston Open in South Carolina. On Wednesday, Kasatkina swamped American Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-1 in the Round of 32.
“With everything going on in my previous country, I didn’t have much choice,” she told reporters in Charleston of leaving Russia. “For me, being openly gay, if I want to be myself, I have to make this step, and I did it.”
“It’s emotional for me,” she added.
Kasatkina, 27, came out publicly in an interview with Russian blogger Vitya Kravchenko in Barcelona, sharing that she had a girlfriend, as well as criticizing the government over its invasion of Ukraine, which she termed a “full-blown nightmare.” Both admissions made her life in Russia untenable.
Asked in the interview whether two women would ever be able to walk down the street holding hands in Russia, Kasatkina said, “Never.”
“Living in the closet is the hardest thing. It’s impossible,” Kasatkina said.
Shortly after coming out, Kasatkina posted a selfie with girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako, a Russian Olympic figure skater.
