Tennis Star Daria Kasatkina Concludes Season Prematurely, Pointing to Emotional Strain
Ranked 19th globally the tennis professional has declared she is at her "limit" and has decided to conclude her tennis season early, characterizing the grueling calendar as "excessive, mentally and emotionally."
The 28-year-old changed her citizenship from the Russian Federation to Australia in March, following voiced concerns regarding her home country's LGBTQ+ regulations and the war in the Ukrainian region.
Her performance suffered with consistency this year, failing to secure a title and concluding with a win-loss tally of 19-21.
Kasatkina linked the mental strain from her nationality switch as a major contributor to her challenges, which involve not seeing her parent for four years.
She wrote in a lengthy statement: "I've been not okay for quite a while and, honestly speaking, my results and performances reflect that."
"I have reached my limit and unfortunately I am in the same boat as others," she added.
"Combine the situation the psychological pressure related to my citizenship change and I can only handle so much I can deal with and endure as an single person."
"Should this label me as weak, then I accept it, I'm weak," she remarked.
"Nonetheless, I believe I am strong and will grow stronger by taking a break and restoring my energy."
"The moment has come I listened to myself for a change."
Other Players Similarly Halting Their Years Early
Ex-elite competitors Elina Svitolina and Paula Badosa have also concluded their seasons ahead of time in recent weeks.
The Ukrainian star mentioned she had "not been feeling like myself", while the Spanish player has spoken about the psychological impact of an ongoing back problem.
Additional athletes have also spoken about the effect of the tennis calendar.
A quintet of competitors retired due to injury in two tournaments in China recently, with multiple major winner Iga Swiatek saying the competitive year is "too long and intense."
WTA Requirements and Athlete Issues
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) requires for elite athletes to compete in every Grand Slam, 10 WTA 1000 events and six secondary competitions.
The majority of premier tournaments on the WTA and men's ATP Tour run for two weeks, as do each of the Grand Slams.
Players may miss mandatory events if they are hurt or have personal reasons, but they will not get any rankings points or prize money if they opt out.
Former world number one Djokovic, who has reduced his schedule in recent years to preserve his health, has urged players to be more united in advocating for reforms.
