Kasatkina set to compete under Australian flag for first time at Roland Garros

Daria Kasatkina will play her first Grand Slam as an Australian citizen at this year’s French Open. The 27-year-old announced her nationality change earlier in 2025, and she will now officially represent Australia on the WTA Tour, starting with Roland Garros.

Kasatkina’s move coincides with growing discussion around sports regulation in Australia. While the country’s BetStop program has restricted many forms of online gambling, a number of Australians continue to use non-BetStop betting sites. These platforms operate legally but sit outside the national self-exclusion scheme, offering alternatives for punters interested in betting on tennis and other major events. (Source: https://www.cardplayer.com/au/betting/non-betstop-betting-sites)

Born in Russia, Kasatkina relocated to Spain several years ago to develop her game and later trained in both Dubai and Barcelona. In the past year, she made Australia her base, living and training in Sydney and Melbourne. After receiving permanent residency, she began the formal process of switching her sporting citizenship. Tennis Australia confirmed the change in March.

The decision comes after a series of personal and political statements that put her in a difficult position in her home country. She came out as gay in 2022 and publicly criticised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both statements sparked strong reactions at home, and she later admitted that she no longer felt safe competing under the Russian flag.

“I feel free now,” she told reporters earlier this year. “Australia feels like home. I’ve been through a lot in recent years, but this was the right move for me.”

Fellow WTA player Daria Saville, who also moved from Russia to Australia earlier in her career, supported Kasatkina through the transition. Kasatkina said Saville helped her understand the legal process and shared her own experience of becoming an Australian citizen.

Now officially representing Australia, Daria Kasatkina is the country’s highest-ranked woman on the WTA Tour. At world No. 17, she comes to Roland Garros hoping to better her best Paris showing — the 2022 semi-finals. Clay courts suit her game well, though recent results do not reflect this. She was eliminated in the early stages of the previous few tournaments.

Her WTA profile now lists her nationality as Australian. French Open organisers have confirmed she will appear under the Australian flag in both singles and doubles draws.

Tennis Australia issued a short statement welcoming her to the national program. “We’re pleased to see Daria take this step. She has a strong connection to Australia and we support her decision.”

Australian women’s tennis gets a big boost with Kasatkina’s switch. The depth simply wasn’t there in recent years. Ash Barty called time on her career, and Ajla Tomljanovic can’t shake injury problems. Kasatkina brings experience at the top level and has won matches on every surface. She’s spent years inside the top 20.

She’ll face Katerina Siniakova in the first round of Roland Garros. Should she advance, the draw sets up potential matches against established players including four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who faces tenth seed Paula Badosa in her opening match. The path through the early rounds will test Kasatkina’s form as she competes under the Australian flag for the first time at a major tournament.