"A fire is kindled inside me" - Amid calls for blacklisting, Daria Kasatkina reveals plans to improve sports in Russia

Daria Kasatkina has responded to an attempt by a Russian lawmaker to have the tennis player named as a 'foreign agent' and get her blacklisted.

The events unfolded after the World No. 8 had previously criticized the Russian regime for its role in the annexation of Ukraine in 2022. Roman Teryushkov, a member of the 8th State Duma (the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia), recently revealed that he had appealed to the ministry to list Kasatkina as a foreign agent.

After the news broke, the 25-year-old took to her official Telegram account to respond. Instead of directly addressing Teryushkov's actions, Kasatkina spoke about engaging in charity work once her playing career ended.

"I recently had a dream or a goal, call it whatever you want. After completing your professional career (and maybe during) to seriously engage in charity work. To help the one that I love with all my heart and that is now suffering so much and praying for help," Kasatkina wrote.

She spoke about her interest in helping sports develop in her country by providing accessible and affordable coaching and hoped that anyone trying to do any good in her country won't face any interference.

"I want to develop sports, sports in my country. To create good conditions and make sports accessible so that parents have to constantly puzzle over where to borrow money or which city to go to so that their child can continue their favorite sport. When I think about it, a fire is kindled inside me, which means I will come to this. I really hope that by that time no one will interfere with people doing good and useful things, and high-quality brands will return to the shelves of sports stores to make their dream easier to fulfill," she expressed.

"Thank you to everyone who these days shared with me their opinion about the development of sports in a country. You once again pushed my thoughts in the right direction. God forbid, in 10 years I will be sending you pictures of a newly built football arena or tennis cotton some regional school. Let's break through," she added.

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"How nice to have fans from the State Duma" - Daria Kasatkina

Daria Kasatkina reacts against Caroline Garcia at the 2022 WTA Finals

Daria Kasatkina had previously given a sarcastic response to Russian lawmaker Roman Teryushkov's attempts to list her as a 'foreign agent'.

Teryushkov claimed in an interview that players should face consequences for their comments against the country and for coming out as gay.

"Using your fame as a tool to influence others on issues of politics or ideology, you need to be prepared not only to receive preferences from the customer, but also to measures of responsibility from the state," Teryushkov said.

Responding to his comments, the 2022 French Open semifinalist sarcastically stated that it was nice to have fans in the State Duma, which is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia.

"How nice to have fans from the State Duma,” Daria Kasatkina sarcastically wrote on Telegram, along with smiling face emojis covered in hearts.