Tennis star who was banned from Wimbledon changes nationality in surprise move
Anastasia Potapova has announced that she is changing her nationality from Russian to Austrian in a surprise move. Russia has been banned from competing in team competitions since their invasion of Ukraine, meaning Potapova has been unable to play in the Billie Jean King Cup. She was also banned from Wimbledon in 2022 along with other Russian players following the outbreak of the war.
In the same year, Potapova described Russian athletes as 'hostages of the current situation' after Ukrainian opponent Elina Svitolina threatened to boycott their match at the Monterrey Open. Now, she has confirmed that she will represent Austria from 2026 onwards after her application for citizenship was accepted. Potapova, who will settle in the capital city of Vienna, revealed the news on Instagram.
Posting on Thursday, the 24-year-old wrote: "I am delighted to let you all know that my application for citizenship has been accepted by the Austrian government.
"Austria is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home. I love being in Wien [Vienna] and look forward to making my second home there.
"As part of this I am proud to announce that starting from 2026 I will be representing my new homeland Austria in my professional tennis career from this point onwards."
Potapova, who is currently 51st by the WTA rankings, will automatically become Austria's top-ranked player when the switch takes effect.
She is not the only player to have ditched her Russian nationality since the war in Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Daria Kasatkina announced that she would be representing Australia after receiving permanent residency from the government.
Kasatkina had previously revealed that she was not living in Russia and could not return to her home country, claiming it was unsafe for her 'as a gay person who opposes the war'.
She has been an outspoken critic of the invasion, telling the Sunday Times in 2023: "When the war started and everything turned to hell, I felt very overwhelmed and I just decided: 'F*** it all'. I couldn't hide any more.
"I wanted to say my position on the war and my [sexuality], which was tough, coming from a country where being gay is not accepted, but it felt like I had a backpack of stones on my shoulders and I just had to throw it off.
"Afterwards, I faced a few consequences, but the only thing that worried me was my parents, and they were fine.