‘I am at the breaking point’: Daria Kasatkina puts a career through mental stress

Daria Kasatkina has put her career on hold for the rest of the year and explains: “I am mentally and emotionally at the breaking point”.

The tennis of Australia, tennis no. 1, which changed nationality of Russia earlier this year, blamed the “emotional and mental stress” with regard to that change, the tension not to see her family and the rampant schedule of the tennis circuit.

“I have long been far from in order and, the truth, is being told, my results and performances show that,” she wrote on social media.

“The truth is that I have hit a wall and cannot continue. I need a break. A break of the monotonous daily grind of life on the Tour, the suitcases, the results, the pressure, the same faces (sorry, girls), everything that belongs to this life.

“There is only so much that I can handle and take as individual women, all while I compete with the best female athletes in the world.”

“If this makes me weak, then it is, I am weak. However, I know that I am strong and will become stronger by being gone, charging, regrouping and being planted again. It is time for me to listen to myself for change, my mind, my heart and body.”

Kasatkina chose to change nationality after he had left Russia and feared that her security criticized their anti-LGBTQ+ laws and the war against Ukraine. Initially she lived in Dubai to Melbourne and became a permanent Australian resident in March.

Then she was engaged to old girlfriend Natalia Zabiako, a former Olympic figure skater, who won a silver medal for Russia on the Winter Olympics 2018 that had previously participated in her native Estonia.

Kasatkina said she could not have seen her father, who stays in Russia, for four years.

Kasatkina, a French open semi-finalist in 2022, has arranged the last four calendar years in the top 10, but is currently 19th after a modest season in which she won 19 and lost 21 games. She will almost certainly be from the top 20 by the time the Australian opens.

The 28-year-old said she will be back in 2026, “energized and ready to rock”, and the structure of her home Grand Slam is probably a return goal.

The current No 2 2 of Australia is Maya Joint, arranged in 35th place worldwide.

Kasatkina is the third leading female player who ends their season early after Paula Badosa and Elina Svitolina, while there has recently been a wave of players who recently retired.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has made it mandatory for leading players to participate in at least 20 events, including the four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1,000 events and six tournaments at 500 levels.

But World No 2 Iga Swiatek said last month: “It is just impossible to press it into the schedule. Maybe I will have to choose some tournaments and they will have to skip, even if they are mandatory.

“We have to be smart at it – not really to care about the rules and just think what is healthy for us.”