In this context, Kassatkina also praised the Russian footballer Nadezhda Karpova, who was the first Russian athlete to come out as homosexual at the beginning of June. Kassatkina criticized that there are a lot of topics in Russia that shouldn’t be talked about. Homosexuality is not even the most important thing. There was movement towards more openness at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but this process has stopped. “The road has been blocked. Road works,” Kassatkina said wryly.
Kassatkina is number 12 in the world tennis rankings, making her the highest-ranked Russian at the moment. The 25-year-old has won four Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) titles in her career so far.
