The Japan Times - Three things on Australia's former Russian tennis star Daria Kasatkina

The 27-year-old cut ties definitively with her homeland -- who she inspired to victory in the Billie Jean King Cup in 2021 -- when Australia granted her application for permanent residency last weekend.

Russia banned what it calls "gay propaganda" among adults in 2022, extending an earlier law that forbade it among minors. That effectively outlawed any representation of "non-traditional sexual relations" in public and in the media.

It has also put "the international LGBT movement" on its list of terrorist and extremist organisations.

AFP Sport picks out three things about Kasatkina:

Russia in her sights over gay rights

Kasatkina was living in Spain when she bit the bullet in July 2022, and came out, not mincing her words in an interview with Russian blogger Vitya Kravchenko.

"Seriously, if there is a choice, no one would choose being gay," she said.

"Why make your life harder, especially in Russia? What's the point?

"Living in the closet is impossible. It is too hard, it is pointless."

Kasatkina, who hails originally from Tolyatti, best known as the centre of Lada car production, was more concerned about what her parents -- former ice hockey player Sergey and her lawyer mother Tatyana -- thought.

"My primary concern was how my parents would react, yet they are proud of me and supportive of my journey," said Kasatkina.

They respect her frankness too, a trait that she says she is most proud of.

"I'm not afraid of speaking my mind and I'm not different at being myself and I would say with this one and I'm quite proud to be looking in the mirror and seeing who's in front there," she told the wearetennis website in September 2024.

Speaking ahead of her first tournament playing under the Australian flag, Kasatkina told reporters at the Charleston Open on Monday: "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."

Feeling the pain of her Ukrainian rivals

From the outset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian tennis players have refused to shake hands with their Russian opponents, who are competing ostensibly as neutral athletes.

Many Ukrainians said they have been disappointed by the lack of support they received from people they previously considered friends on the tour.

Kasatkina has been the exception to the rule, indeed the invasion sparked her coming out.

"It's unsafe for me now with the regime we have," she said in 2022.

"As a gay person who opposes the war, I simply cannot go back.

"However, I regret nothing. When the war commenced, I felt overwhelmed and just decided enough was enough! I could no longer hide who I am."

She also said she understood why Ukrainian players refused to shake hands: "I accept it and it is how it is," she said in April 2023.

Her stance was welcomed by the Ukrainian players, including world number 18 Elina Svitolina.

"She's a really brave person to say it publicly, that not so many players did," Svitolina said. "She's a brave one."

Courting home comforts

Inspired by her older brother Aleksandr to take up tennis aged six, Kasatkina was crowned French Open junior champion in 2014, reached the 2022 French Open semi-finals and has won eight singles titles in all.

Away from tennis -- she intends to make Melbourne her new home -- she says she is determined not to live and breathe the sport 24 hours a day.

"When I'm outside of the tennis court, outside of the tennis club I don't want to hear anything about it because it's enough, we have more than enough," she told wearetennis.

"I want to like spend a good time with the people I love.

"For me the best activities when we are at home is to go to the supermarket with Natasha (Zabiiako, her partner) and just to get groceries and I would get something for our apartment.

"It makes me so happy."

K.Nakajima--JT