Add in the fact that she is an out gay woman from a country that is waging a “war on woke” alongside an actual invasion of a foreign power, we can only imagine the vitriol that must come her way.

Like most professional women’s tennis players, she is sent a lot of online hate. The potential impact on loved ones continues to prevent many athletes globally from coming out, let alone becoming activists. After all, she still has family and friends back home to worry about. Kasatkina could have chosen to stay silent. The vagueness of the wording makes it all the more terrifying.įor all of this and more, WTA player Daria Kasatkina is Outsports’ 2023 Female Hero of the Year. The LGBT Network and organizations like it are now branded “extremist” in law. 18) in the fiercely competitive world of the WTA.Īs if that wasn’t pressure enough, the 26-year-old has often found herself on the frontline of LGBTQ advocacy in sports as well, at a time when Russian politicians are attempting to roll the country back to the Dark Ages. Reuters and Associated Press sent the news out on the wires CNN and the Washington Post were among those to report it too and the LGBT Network, an equality group in Kasatkina’s homeland, described her coming out as “monumental.”Įighteen months later, Kasatkina has become increasingly vocal and visible, all while maintaining her top-20 ranking (she’s currently at No.

When Russian tennis star Daria Kasatkina said in an interview in July last year that she has a girlfriend, the vlogger asking the questions - Vitya Kravchenko - said her confirmation would generate “overwhelming interest.”

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