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Tennis fans recently reacted to Daria Kasatkina showing support for Russian opposition leader, lawyer, and political prisoner Alexei Navalny's wife Yulia Navalnaya following his death.
Navalny, who was a prominent anti-corruption advocate and vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, passed away after taking a brief walk at his Siberian penal colony. According to reports, he had expressed feeling unwell before collapsing, losing consciousness and ultimately dying.
Navalny, a former Russian spy, survived multiple poisoning attempts while imprisoned and targeted Putin, exposing his corruption within the Russian government.
Following Alexei Navalny's death, his wife Yulia Navalnaya shared a photo of the two of them on social media in his honor. Daria Kasatkina, who has also publicly criticized her country's regime, took to social media and re-shared Yulia's tribute to her husband.
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Fans were impressed by Kasatkina's support for someone who opposes Vladimir Putin. They took to social media to give their opinion on the same. One fan commended the former World No. 8 for speaking out against her country's President, calling her "very brave."
"I feel for her. This must be a sad and hopeless time for all russians wanting some normality. Very brave of her to continue speaking up!" a fan posted on Reddit.
Another fan expressed sadness over the fact that Daria Kasatkina may not be able to return to Russia due to her opposition to Putin.
"How she manages to stay safe and not “disappear” is remarkable. Feel for her as she probably can’t ever go home again," the fan posted.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Daria Kasatkina will face Lucia Bronzetti in the first round at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships
Daria Kasatkina has had an impressive start to the 2024 season. She reached the quarterfinals in one tournament and made it to the final in two others out of the five tournaments she has played.
Kasatkina kicked off her season at the Brisbane International, where she reached the quarterfinals but was ultimately defeated by Aryna Sabalenka. Then at the Adelaide Internationals, she reached the final before falling to Jelena Ostapenko. However, her performance at the Australian Open was disappointing as she was eliminated in the second round by Sloane Stephens.
Seeded seventh at the Abu Dhabi Open, Kasatkina defeated Diane Parry, Ashlyn Krueger, and Sorana Cîrstea to secure a spot in the semifinals. She then battled past Beatriz Haddad Maia in the last four only to be defeated by Elena Rybakina in the championship match. The former World No. 8 then faced a first-round defeat at the Qatar Open, losing to compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Daria Kasatkina was scheduled to begin her campaign against Marta Kostyuk at the Dubai Tennis Championships which will be played at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre. However, the Ukrainian withdrew from the tournament due to a viral illness. As a result, Kasatkina will face Italian qualifier Lucia Bronzetti in the first round.
