Russian tennis duo Andrey Rublev and Daria Kasatkina have suggested they may defect to another country in order to compete at Wimbledon in the future - while Kasatkina admitted she may never return home after she admirably came out as gay.
Rublev, the Russian men’s No.2 and World No.8, and Kasatkina, the national No.1 and World No.12, raised the prospect of switching nationality following their ban from this year’s edition of the Championships following the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
The duo made the comments in an interview aired a week after former compatriot Elena Rybakina’s Wimbledon triumph. Russia was quick to claim credit for the victory by Rybakina – who switched allegiance to Kazakhstan in 2018 – in an attempt to use the victory as propaganda during the war in Ukraine.
The Wimbledon ban has been questioned considering Russian doubles specialist Natela Dzalamidze was allowed to represent Georgia in a late switch, and Rublev and Kasatkina have refused to rule anything out. In a video interview with Russian blogger Vitya Kravchenko, Rublev said: “Speaking about access to Wimbledon, it would be acceptable to change the passport.
“Participation would be allowed then. If we are banned from all tournaments and I want to continue a sports career then, yes, that would be one of the options.”
Kasatkina added: “Our federation went out of existence for the International Tennis Federation. The world championship was taken away from us. Things are up in the air with the Olympics.
“Passport change? We’ll see.”
In the same interview, Kasatkina came out as gay as she revealed she was in a relationship with another woman. The 25-year-old also called for the war in Ukraine to end.
It has been illegal to promote homosexuality to children in Russia since 2013, with the law used to stop gay pride marches and detain activists. It could also soon be raised up to a blanket ban.
In her interview, Kasatkina, who lives and trains in Spain, said: “So many subjects are taboo in Russia. This notion of someone wanting to be gay or becoming [gay] is ridiculous. I think there is nothing easier in this world than being straight.
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“If there is a choice, nobody would choose being gay, why make your life harder, especially in Russia? What's the point?”
Kasatkina’s run to the French Open semi-finals, where she lost to eventual champion Iga Swiatek, was her best performance at a Grand Slam. It bettered her previous best, when she reached the last eight at Wimbledon in 2018 before she lost to Angelique Kerber, who went on to win.
Rybakina’s 3-6 6-3 6-2 victory against Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon final was immediately hijacked by the Russian Tennis Federation, which claimed the 23-year-old as ‘our product’.
