Russian tennis player renounces citizenship for Austria

A fewer days aft Kamilla Rahimova decided to permission the Russian flag, the tennis satellite received caller quality that caused existent attention. The 51st ranked WTA player, Anastasia Potapova, volition officially play for Austria from 2026, marking the continuation of a inclination of athletes leaving Russia.

Potapova has been surviving successful Vienna for immoderate clip and has developed beardown ties to the city, which she present considers her home. Although she played an accumulation lucifer successful St. Petersburg past week, the determination to alteration the emblem was made overmuch earlier, and has present been formally confirmed via her Instagram profile.

She is considered 1 of the astir talented tennis players of her generation, a erstwhile inferior satellite fig 1 and victor of the 2016 inferior Wimbledon. She was calved successful Saratov successful 2001 and has been a nonrecreational since 2017. Over respective seasons, she gradually roseate to the top, and successful 2023 she entered the Top 30.

So far, she has won 3 WTA singles titles – Istanbul 2022, Linz 2023 and Cluj-Napoca 2025 – and 3 doubles titles. Her highest singles ranking was 21st, which she reached successful June 2023.

Off the court, she is often successful the media spotlight owed to her backstage beingness and respective controversies. In precocious 2022, she began a narration with Kazakh tennis subordinate Aleksandr Shevchenko; the mates joined successful December 2023, and divorced successful the autumn of 2024. After that, she is successful a narration with Dutch tennis subordinate Tallon Griekspoor.

Reaction from Russia

The absorption successful Russia was cold. Former satellite fig 1 and nationalist icon, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, said that helium did not see Potapova's departure a nonaccomplishment for Russian tennis. “I’m not blessed to remark connected this news; should I springiness an opinion? I don’t person to. She changed it and that’s it. What should I bash now? Should I cry? Was she a beardown athlete? What did she triumph for Russia successful her life? If you don’t accidental it, I won’t accidental it either. So, person a bully trip,” Kafelnikov said.

With Austrian citizenship granted, Potapova is acceptable for a caller section successful her vocation and is looking towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She besides became the highest-ranked tennis subordinate representing Austria, replacing Julia Grabher astatine 93rd.