Daria Kasatkina blasts former player and Vice President of Russian Tennis Federation for publicly degrading her and girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako

Daria Kasatkina is unhappy with former tennis player and current vice president of the Russian Tennis Federation Anastasia Myskina’s latest rant about her and her figure skater girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako.

World No. 8 Kasatkina made her relationship with Zabiiako public after coming out as gay in 2022. While the athlete’s revelation has been warmly welcomed by her fans and colleagues on the WTA circuit, it hasn’t found the same reception in her home country of Russia.

Zabiiako started a YouTube vlogging channel a couple of months ago to walk tennis fans through her perspective and give a behind-the-scenes look at Kasatkina’s participation in various tennis tournaments.

In the latest vlog from the recently concluded Qatar Open, Kasatkina opened up about parting ways with her coach of four years, Carlos Martinez. The 25-year-old, who is yet to find her footing on the tennis court since the significant change, revealed that creating a rapport with new coach Flavio Cipolla wasn’t necessarily easy.

“Of course it was scary,” Daria Kasatkina said about Martinez. “To end such a long relationship—working relationship!—it was hard.”

“He doesn’t know me. I don’t know him. He is not sure what he should say to me, or what he shouldn’t, and do I want to be told something,” she confessed, referring to new coach Cipolla.

The vlog caught the eye of Russian Tennis Federation Vice President Anastasia Myskina, who criticized the couple for producing irrelevant content and voiced her anger at the World No. 8’s seemingly unprincipled approach to switching coaches.

Kasatkina was upset with the 2004 French Open winner’s public rant and called her out for demeaning the Federation’s own players.

“Most likely, Anastasia is right, and our vlog is not the most interesting, and I still don’t play tennis very well, everyone has already understood this. But (how) can the Vice President of the RTF speak publicly with such negativity, and even anger, about (their) players?” she remarked.

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“If this is enough to block a person from entering the country, it is sad” – Daria Kasatkina previously called out Russian State Duma deputy for comments regarding her sexuality

Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open - Day 5

Daria Kasatkina has had a tough time dealing with the scrutiny from her countrymen regarding her sexuality and public no-war stance.

The athlete previously slammed Russian State Duma deputy Biysultan Khamzaev for declaring that she decided to come out in order to improve her chances of changing her nationality.

“So let’s write it down. Now I am writing to the immigration service of some country: ‘Guys, I’m for girls, so give me a passport.’ It’s a shame, of course, when deputies make such comments about their citizens, who have done nothing wrong, they just admitted who they are. If this is enough to block a person from entering the country, it is sad,” Daria Kasatkina said.