🔗 Share this article

The nation's highest-rated female tennis athlete has chosen to step away throughout the rest of the 2025 season, stating she is at her “mental and emotional threshold.”

Factors Leading to the Choice

The Australian No. 1, who this year altered her nationality from Russia to Australia, attributed the change for contributing to significant “emotional and mental pressure.”

Further contributors consisted of the persistent struggle of being away from her relatives and the relentless tour schedule.

“I haven't been okay for a considerable period and, honestly speaking, my results and performances demonstrate it,” she shared on her online accounts.

She added, “The reality is, I've reached my limit and can't continue. I need a break. A pause from the tedious cycle of the tennis circuit, the suitcases, the outcomes, the expectations, the familiar opponents (sorry, girls), each element involved in this career.”

Individual Challenges and Upcoming Goals

“I can only handle I can deal with and handle as a female athlete, all whilst battling the leading players in the world.”

“If this makes me weak, then I accept it, I am fragile. But, I believe in my strength and will improve by taking time off, recharging, reorganizing and renewing. The moment has come I listened to myself for a shift, my brain, my heart and my physical self.”

She chose to switch nationality after leaving Russia due to apprehensions about her well-being, having openly opposed the government's policies affecting the queer community and the war on Ukraine. First living in Dubai, she settled in Melbourne and became a permanent resident in the spring.

She then announced her engagement to partner a former Olympic figure skater, who secured a second-place finish for her former team at the last Winter Olympics after first representing for her native Estonia.

She further mentioned she has been unable to visit her parent, who remains in Russia, for an extended period.

Professional Background

A Roland Garros final four competitor in 2022, she had ended the last four calendar years among the world's best but is presently ranked 19th after a mixed season where she won 19 and lost 21.

She is projected to drop out of the elite rankings by the time the next Grand Slam begins.

The professional athlete stated she will return in 2026, “energised and ready to rock,” with the build-up to her home grand slam expected to be a key objective.

Wider Context

Australia's next best competitor is Maya Joint, ranked 35th globally.

Kasatkina is the most recent leading female player to cut short their year, following other prominent players, amid a growing pattern of athletes withdrawing during competitions.

The Women's Tennis Association mandates leading players to participate in a set number of tournaments, encompassing the Grand Slam events, 10 WTA 1,000 events, and six 500-level tournaments.

But world No. 2 the Polish star stated recently, “It's just impossible to accommodate everything the calendar. Perhaps I will have to choose some tournaments and miss them, despite the fact that they are mandatory.

“We must think carefully about it - possibly disregarding about the rules and just focus on what's healthy for us.”