In an interview, the Russian tennis professionals Daria Kasatkina and Andrej Rublev spoke surprisingly openly about politics in their home country – and did not hide private things either.
YouTube blogger Vitya Kravchenko visited Daria Kasatkina and Andrei Rublev in Barcelona. The two Russian tennis pros are trying to somehow stay in shape in Spain.
Most recently, they were not allowed to compete in the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon – the organizers excluded players from Russia and Belarus due to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.
“Of course I’m frustrated. Everything I earn I invest in my tennis career – and then I’m not allowed to do my job,” Rublev sums up. The world number 8 explains that he also looked for diplomatic solutions with the organizers. “For example, I suggested a mixed doubles match with a Ukrainian,” said the eleven-time tournament winner. “We wanted to use the stage to show that war has no place in tennis.”
The offspring will be missing
Rublev showed his attitude at the Dubai tournament back in February when he wrote “No War” on a camera after winning a match. But the 24-year-old from Moscow also knows that “the Russian government is using our results as propaganda”.
He could have changed his citizenship. If they continue to be banned from all tournaments, that’s an option. Elena Rybakina, a player who only changed her nationality four years ago, won the women’s grass classic. As a result, the native Russian was able to take part in the tournament as a Kazakh and was unaffected by the sanctions.
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Kasatkina and Rublev also think about the consequences for Russian tennis – especially the youth will suffer. “For many young people, their careers will be over before they even start,” says Rublev. It is already an expensive sport there anyway, the two agree in unison.
Coming out as a bold move by Kasatkina
Her parents even sold her house to promote her career, says this year’s semi-finalist at the French Open. World No. 12 is asked about the Nadya Karpova case. The Russian footballer recently came out as gay. Not an easy step in a country where an “anti-gay propaganda” law was recently installed. Kasatkin also no longer wants to hide and answers the question of whether she has a girlfriend with a simple “yes”.
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In Russia there is a perception of wanting to be gay or lesbian, which is ridiculous. “Nothing is easier than conforming to the norm and being straight. Why make life harder, especially in Russia?” asks the 25-year-old. Kasatkina believes that it will never be possible to hold hands with a friend back home. Not so long ago, at the 2018 World Cup, she saw positive signs of a rapprochement with the West, which is of course over now. “The most important thing is to be at peace with yourself. That’s the only thing that counts – forget the others », she states.
Does the criticism have consequences?
Kasatkina and Rublev – who have known each other since childhood – do not think much of the Russian Tennis Federation RTF. “The RTF does not exist for the ITF (Editor’s note: International Tennis Federation”, Kasatkina summarizes its insignificance. They recently won the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup. “That was good PR for them”, smirks Rublev.
“We are outcasts,” Kasatkina explains the predicament of the two best Russian tennis professionals. But of course that is no comparison with the things that people experience in Ukraine, where you lose your house or experience other bad things. “A nightmare,” she summarizes the situation in Ukraine. Kasatkina begins to cry when asked whether she is also thinking of losing her house with her statements.
