“This whole situation is absurd” - Daria Kasatkina's girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako defends her childhood coach Anna Levandi amid abuse allegations

Daria Kasatkina's girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako has defended her childhood figure skating coach Anna Levandi, who is facing accusations of mental and physical abuse from some of her ex-students and their parents.

Levandi, a former Soviet figure skater who secured the silver medal at the 1984 World Championships, stands as one of Estonia's esteemed and accomplished coaches. She oversees the Anna Levandi Figure Skating Club in Tallinn, where she has coached numerous national and international skaters.

Among her notable pupils is Zabiiako, who, alongside Alexander Enbert, represented Russia and earned a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships.

However, Levandi's standing has been marred by recent petitions filed with the Estonian Anti-Doping and Sports Ethics Foundation (EADSE). These complaints allege that she has exposed her students to mental and physical mistreatment, including the use of derogatory language, neglecting injuries, and fostering a hostile atmosphere.

The EADSE has forwarded this information to the Estonian Skating Union (ESU), prompting the formation of a committee to probe into the allegations.

Levandi has denied most of the accusations, calling them slanderous and outrageous. She has admitted that she is "passionate, performance-oriented, and very emotional" but not malicious or unfair.

The 58-year-old said that high-performance sports are "extremely physically and emotionally demanding" and that sometimes "disagreements arise in this high-performance team of athletes, coaches, and parents" (via Err.ee).

Zabiiako posted a childhood photo with Levandi on Instagram on Thursday, February 22, calling the situation "absurd".

"Anna, I'm with you, this whole situation is absurd," Zabiiako wrote.

Daria Kasatkina's girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako on Instagram

---

Daria Kasatkina suffers shock defeat to Lucia Bronzetti in Dubai opener

Daria Kasatkina at the 2023 US Open

Daria Kasatkina was knocked out of the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships by Italy's Lucia Bronzetti in a three-set thriller in the first round. Kasatkina lost 6-7(5), 6-4, 5-7 to the Italian, who is ranked No. 60. Bronzetti eventually lost in the second round to Anastasia Potapova in straight sets.

Kasatkina, who won six WTA titles in her career, had shown some promising signs in the Australian summer, reaching the quarterfinals in Brisbane and the final at the Adelaide International, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka and Jelena Ostapenko, respectively.

However, the 26-year-old also suffered early exits at the Australian Open, where she fell to Sloane Stephens in the second round, and at the Qatar Open, where she was upset by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round. The Russian also reached the final at the Abu Dhabi Open, where she lost to top seed Elena Rybakina in straight sets.