For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, a Russian tennis player has publicly criticized the war, a move that could land her in trouble when she returns to her home country.
During a series of recent interviews with the Russian blogger Vitya Kravchenko in Barcelona that were posted on youtubeDaria Kasatkina described the war as “a full-fledged nightmare”, said that the end of the war was what she wanted most in life at the moment, and also came out as gay.
For Kasatkina, currently the 12th highest-ranked Russian woman, the remarks were an unusual move for a celebrity of her stature in Russia, where President Vladimir V. Putin has supported a series of laws against speaking out against the war and against expressing views favorable to homosexuality.
Kasatkina, 25, who goes by “Dasha,” said she wanted to train and play against players “who don’t have to worry about getting bombed,” according to the captions of the video, which circulated on Twitter on Tuesday. She expressed her empathy for the Ukrainian players who have been forced to leave their homes and call Western European tennis academies for a place to train while the war continues in her country. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be without a home,” she said.
Lesia Tsurenko, a 33-year-old Kyiv veteran, is one such player. Tsurenko spent the first few days of Wimbledon looking at footage from Ukraine that showed the Russians had bombed a shopping center Y other civilian targets.
“They are just trying to kill as many people as possible,” Tsurenko said of the Russian military.
Earlier this year, after months of uncertainty, Tsurenko moved to Italy to live and train at an academy run by famed coach Riccardo Piatti. Tsurenko also spoke at Wimbledon about the difficulty of sharing dressing rooms and hotels with Russian players who she says support Putin and the war in some way, given Putin’s popularity in Russia and his control of state media. The Russian players made no effort to talk to her or express empathy, Tsurenko said.
Another player from Ukraine, 22-year-old Dayana Yastremska, said the same thing at the French Open.
Asked if she was worried about her safety if she decided to return home after the busy summer tournament schedule in Europe and North America, Kasatkina replied, “Yes, I’ve thought about that,” saying she felt powerless to change anything. . “Not even Europe can do” anything, she said, using a swear word.
Reviews of Kasatkina they come as Russian players have returned to the highest level of professional tennis after an enforced hiatus.
In April, acting at the behest of the British government, the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which runs Wimbledon, and the Lawn Tennis Association, which oversees England’s other annual spring and summer tournaments, banned Russian and Belarusian players from their tournaments.
“The UK government has established directional guidance for sporting bodies and events in the UK, with the specific aim of limiting the influence of Russia,” said Ian Hewitt, president of the All England Club. “We have taken that directional guide into account, as we must be a high-profile event and a leading British institution.”
He said the combination of the scale and severity of Russia’s invasion of a sovereign state, the condemnation of more than 140 nations through the United Nations, and “specific and directive guidance in addressing issues” made this a “very, very exceptional situation”.
The move was popular in Britain, according to opinion polls, but received significant pushback from the men’s and women’s tennis tours. They condemned it as discriminatory and decided retain ranking points for any win at Wimbledon. He also represented a dramatic break with precedent not to allow politics to interfere with individual athletes’ participation in sports and to limit punishments meted out in reaction to the war to ban Russians and Belarusians teams or any flag or other symbols of the countries of the competitions.
in a touch of irony, Elena Rybakinawho was born in Russia but chose to represent Kazakhstan four years ago in exchange for funding from that country’s tennis federation, won Wimbledon women’s singles title. Rybakina, whose parents still live in Russia and still spends time there, demurred when asked about the war, saying her English skills were limited, despite holding lengthy press conferences in English on a variety of topics throughout the day. tournament.
Other Russian players, including Daniil Medvedev, the No. 1-ranked men’s singles player, and Karen Khachanov, ranked No. 26 in men’s singles, have also refrained from commenting on the Russian invasion, apart from saying they were in favor of the peace. although they did not detail under what circumstances that peace should occur.
Earlier this year, before the invasion, Andrey Rublev, another prominent Russian player, wrote “No war please” on a television camera after a match. Rublev was particularly dismayed by the ban from playing at Wimbledon. He offered to donate any money he might have won from the tournament to relief efforts in the Ukraine.
The United States Tennis Association, which organizes the US Open and helps oversee other summer tournaments leading up to the Grand Slam, chose not to follow Wimbledon’s lead and will allow Russian and Belarusian players to participate.
Kasatkina’s comments about her sexuality and Russia’s views on homosexuality will no doubt cause a stir in her country. She criticized the country for forcing LGBTQ people to live secret lives.
“Living in the closet is the most difficult thing, it is impossible,” he said. When asked if two women could ever walk down the street holding hands with her, she said: “Never.”
Kravchenko asked if he currently had a girlfriend. “Yes,” Kasatkina said.
“Sport is like a little straw that can pull something out,” he said, “I don’t know, it sheds some light.”
At the end of the interview, Kasatkina wept into Kravchenko’s chest as they sat by a tennis court and worried about whether he would be safe if he returned home.
“You’re a good girl, Dasha,” he tells her.