Russia-born tennis player Daria Kasatkina says she will now represent Australia

Russia's Daria Kasatkina has been playing on the tour as a neutral athlete. PHOTO: REUTERS

UPDATED Mar 29, 2025, 06:43 PM

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MELBOURNE - Russia-born world No.12 Daria Kasatkina on March 28 announced that she will now represent Australia after her application for permanent residency was accepted by the government.

The 27-year-old 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 2022.

Kasatkina, who has not returned to Russia in more than two years after coming out as gay and being one of the few Russian players who has publicly spoken out against the war, lives in Dubai.

"Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home," she wrote in a message posted on Instagram.

"I love being in Melbourne and look forward to making my home there," she said, adding that she would begin representing her new homeland immediately.