State Duma deputy and Olympic skating champion Svetlana Zhurova has spoken about the decision of Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina, currently ranked 12th in the world, to change her sports citizenship.
Zhurova stated, “Kasatkina has specific reasons for changing citizenship. Everyone is aware of them, but they are not openly discussed. Although Russian by birth, she was raised with Western values. Kasatkina has been living abroad for a long time, not in Russia. She already refused to compete for Russia at the Paris Olympics, so her connection with our country has been severed for a while. Many have already labeled her, which is why she is afraid to come to Russia. This fear stems from her non-traditional values. In Russia, Kasatkina would face significant backlash for her views, as she has made them public. Her path simply diverges from our country. She has made her choice, it`s her personal life, and I will not judge her.”
Earlier, 27-year-old Daria Kasatkina announced on her social media page that she would be representing Australia in tennis tournaments.
