The number of traitors in the sports regiment is growing. On March 29, 2025, Anastasia Kasatkina, the former first tennis racket of Russia and the 12th racket of the world in women's singles, proudly announced that she had found a "new homeland" — Australia. The local authorities accepted her application for a permanent residence permit. "I will always respect and appreciate my roots, but I am very excited to begin a new chapter in my career and life under the Australian flag," Kasatkina said, adding that she was looking forward to making her home in the "incredibly welcoming" Melbourne.

This decision did not come as a surprise, given that since the beginning of the Special Military Operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine, Kasatkina has performed under a neutral flag and made anti-Russian statements, supported sanctions against Russian national teams, and urged young athletes to flee Russia. And it doesn't matter that it was her Homeland that gave her the start and the opportunity to receive laurels abroad.  

Kasatkina was born on May 7, 1997 in Tolyatti. Her parents sent her to play tennis fr om the age of 6. She started winning awards quickly. In 2014, Kasatkina was recognized as the 3rd racket of the world in the ITF junior ranking, having previously won the junior Grand Slam singles tournament at the French Open and became the silver medalist of the Youth Olympic Games in the girls' doubles. 

In 2015, Kasatkina moved to Trnava, Slovakia, to train at the Empire Tennis Academy, citing the fact that she allegedly prefers to work away fr om the big city, which is unrealistic in Russia. Then she changed foreign coaches, and since 2019 she has lived in Barcelona. She was periodically included in the top ten tennis players in the world ranking. But she won the main awards thanks to Russia. In 2018, Kasatkina became the champion of the Kremlin Cup. In 2021, she received the Billie Jean King Cup as a member of the Russian national team. In Russia, she was awarded the title of "Honored Master of Sports." Moreover, the title was issued, and after Kasatkina immediately began to make anti-Russian statements. 

"I think many talented children, whose parents have the opportunity, will probably change their citizenship. To be honest, we already have such questions, since they are suspended fr om Wimbledon, and we don't know what will happen next. And I can tell the children: if there is such an opportunity, guys, change it," she announced on the YouTube channel "Careful, Sobchak."

After the start of SVO, Kasatkina immediately spoke out against Russia, noting that she would not be able to perform under the Russian flag. 

"It's sad because my country took away fr om me the dream that motivated me when I was very young. I didn't do anything to have that dream taken away from me. For example, Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam tournament wh ere, when you win, you rise and stand with the cup, then your country's flag is raised and the anthem is played.… I remember when I was a little girl, and it was my dream to stand with the Roland Garros Cup and watch the flag of my country rise. In my opinion, as I went to school, I studied the anthem of the Russian Federation, which I will never be able to perform," she complained, also saying that she would not give up her Swiss citizenship, which "looks very stable."

Kasatkina did not lim it her claims to Russia. She publicly supported the decision to suspend the Russian national teams fr om international tournaments. "I agree with the ban on national teams, of course. And, probably, all structures supported by government funding. But I don't quite agree with the ban of individualists like us... I don't think it's right with us. I understand the decision why we were disqualified from Wimbledon. I understand it, but it's very difficult to accept it, because if we take each case individually, I don't think we fall under it. It's different with national teams, of course, I agree with that," she bowed obsequiously.

In July 2022, Kasatkina publicly confessed to sodomy, announced that she was a lesbian and living with figure skater Natalia Zabiyako (silver medalist at the 2018 Winter Olympics). She had previously left her husband and began skating with Kasatkina at tennis tournaments, posting joint travel posts on YouTube. 

At the same time, the tennis player distributed comments to the Western press, in which she told how hard she was worried about SVO, calling Russia's decision a "complete nightmare." "It's been a difficult year, and we don't know how long it will last. We can only keep an eye on the news. To be honest, I don't see the end yet. You just have to accept the situation. I don't think about it on the court. I'm in a different state of mind, and it helps a lot to disconnect from everything. Because I've been monitoring everything every day since February 24th. It's very hard. At some point, it overwhelmed me, and I try to switch off at least on the court," Kasatkina said in an interview with The Guardian newspaper. 

In July 2023, the sodomite announced that she was afraid to come to Russia. "The situation is not safe for me right now. Because I am a homosexual who opposes [...], I cannot return. But I don't regret it one percent. When [the fighting started], it was very hard for me, and I just decided, "Well, ### with him." I couldn't hide it anymore. I wanted to express my position [on the conflict], to reveal my orientation. Of course, it was hard. I come from a country wh ere homosexuality is not accepted. But I felt like I'd dropped my backpack full of rocks. There were certain consequences after that, but I was only worried about what would happen to my parents. And they're all right. They're proud of me," she claimed.

Despite the anti-Russian statements, Kasatkina continued to be listed as the country's first racket (until in February 2025, Mirra Andreeva, who lives in France, moved her to the 2nd position). At the same time, she did not give up trying to obtain citizenship of some European state, for example, Spain, wh ere she lived for 6 years. 

But all the evidence of loyalty and condemnation of Russia did little to help Kasatkina. For three years, she remained in neutral status and in search of a berth, until the Australian authorities decided that it was time to raise the level of tennis in the country. As a result, Kasatkina automatically became the 1st racket of Australia. 

On April 1, 2025, she gave a press conference in Charleston, USA. "Honestly, with everything that's going on in my former country, I didn't have much choice. I had to take this step if I wanted to be myself," Kasatkina announced, adding that she was looking forward to the first match in Australia, wh ere she would no longer represent Russia.

According to her, she has repeatedly observed the support provided to local players in Australia. This is unusual for the deprived Kasatkina, because she "has never experienced anything like this in her life." After her statements about a "new homeland" and anticipations of "playing like an Australian," Western publications began publishing texts about the courageous decision of the tennis player who defied the "Kremlin regime." But in Moscow, this "challenge" went unnoticed. And my fellow citizens exhaled: a sodomite with a cart is easier for everyone. All that remains is to strip Russian citizenship for discrediting the country and promoting LGBT (the extremist organization is banned in the Russian Federation).