Daria Kasatkina, the world’s bravest tennis player

For the first six years of her professional career, Daria Kasatkina was known as a rising player whose tennis was based on intelligence rather than strength, using her racket less as a high-powered weapon than a scalpel. She was known in tennis by her nickname, Dasha. She was no known for being political or particularly outspoken.

Then, in February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and condemned their country for it.

Asked if she was surprised by the level of courage she had in speaking, Kasatkina replied: “Yes, I was. Because in general I am a very careful person. I will think 300 times before I say something. If something like this is going to come up, I almost I probably sit in the corner and say nothing. But then at one point I realized that no, I can’t just sit and say nothing.

Two years ago, Kasatkina called for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “a complete nightmare.”

How does she see this nightmare ending now? “I don’t know,” she said. “Honestly, I don’t see the end right now. It feels like it’s stuck in one place and not going anywhere. All I want is to get it over with as quickly as possible. Like, hellish situation. And it’s been a long time.”

Five months after the invasion, an emboldened Kasatkina made another statement that she knew could trigger a backlash in Russia, a country notoriously hostile to gay rights: She was in a relationship with another Russian athlete, Natasha Zabiiako, a former Olympic figure skater.

When she announced her relationship on social media, Kasatkina said: “The reaction was loud! But I never regret it, because I realized it was holding me together so much. in life, and also on the tennis court, because all these things are interconnected. After that, I start to feel much better.”

This volley of frankness changed his life and his status, especially with regard to his homeland.

Asked if her relationship with Russia is complicated, she replied: “Well, not exactly with Russia. I love my country. So before the war started, I spent some quality time there. I was really enjoying going back. going there, spending time with my family and friends, I felt there, like a fish in the water.

“Now, probably not!” she laughed.

She was born in Tolyatti, an industrial city bisected by the Volga River, 600 miles east of Moscow. A natural athlete, Kasatkina felt drawn to tennis. She turned professional as a teenager and by 2018, at age 21, she was one of the best players in the world, winning tournaments. During breaks from touring, she loved coming home.

No more. She has not returned to Russia since the invasion began more than two years ago. It has become clear that, at least in some corners, she is not welcome. A Russian politician called for her to be labeled a foreign agent.

“Well, yes, this guy actually works in the sports ministry,” said Kasatkina. “So, in fact, he should improve sports in our country and support athletes. This action doesn’t exactly seem like that. Either way, he was unsuccessful.”

Although three of his siblings left the country and moved to Canada, his elderly parents chose to remain in Russia. “I always worry about them – about them, about the people I love, of course,” Kasatkina said. “I can have my say. But they are my parents. If I want them to respect my decisions, I have to respect their decisions.”

Now 27, she bounces around the world from tournament to tournament. But without a real foundation, she lives out of a suitcase, placing training blocks whenever and wherever she can. She is simultaneously a tennis star and a tennis nomad. One week, she’s Dubai; another week, it’s a tennis academy in Spain, where “Sunday Morning” met her in April during a rare week off. “Basically for me the best day off is when I don’t have a plan for a day, where I can do it whenever and wherever I want at any given time,” he said.

But she is not alone. She and Zabiiako go everywhere together, leading the kind of open life they think they couldn’t get in Russia.

Zabiiako, who claims to know “a little” about tennis when he met Kasatkina, now tours the circuit. “I haven’t missed a game since we met,” she said.

To narrate your journey, literally and metaphorically – and perhaps to find some sense of place – they produce a popular YouTube video series. (Dasha quickly realizes that Natasha does the heavy lifting.)

“I like that we have something to do together,” Zabiiako said. “I love that it helps you relax a little because things are so hard and you can enjoy it a little more.”

But Kasatkina also faces more important topics online. When Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny died suspiciously in February, Kasatkina showed solidarity with Navalny’s widow. “He wanted to show that he is not afraid, he is not afraid and that people do not need to be afraid,” Kasatkina said. “It was very brave for him. Maybe too brave, [because the payment] that he had to pay… it was very high.”

Asked if she fears what the Russian government might do to her and her family, Kasatkina said: “Well, so far, I don’t think I’ve crossed that line… so they can do something. I hope not.”

Does she think there’s a line she knows not to cross?

“There’s always a line,” she said.

She has not ruled out returning to Russia; in fact, she is looking forward to it. But first, she said, there are conditions the country will have to meet: “Obviously, the war has to end,” she said. “And some laws [have] to be changed.

Homophobic laws? “Yes. This has to be changed so that I feel safe returning. I miss home and one day I want to return. When that day will come, no one knows. But I will wait.

“When I was a kid, I wished that when I grew up I could do things right,” she said. “So, it looks like I didn’t betray that little girl.”

Kasatkina’s activism didn’t take a toll on her sneakers; She’s playing as well as ever. And she resists any suggestion that she follow in the tradition of Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe and Martina Navratilova – tennis players who used their platforms to highlight injustice.

But your moral courage has deeply affected your partner. Zabiiako said, “I’m proud of Dasha. Not just because of that, but I’m proud of her every day, even on the bad days. It doesn’t matter. I’m proud of you all day, every day.”

Both Zabiiako and Kasatkina said they have “no regrets” about the way they have come out and led their lives over the past two years.

As for her message to her Russian colleagues, Kasatkina says it’s quite simple: “Don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine,” she said, sounding a lot like Alexey Navalny. “Yes, I truly believe that love and kindness will win in the end.”

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Story produced by Jon Carras and Aarthi Soler. Editor: Ed Givnish.