Kasatkina's Marriage to Skater Ignites Controversy Among Ukrainian Tennis Players

Daria Kasatkina's marriage to Natalia Zabiiako in Greece has become one of the most talked-about topics in the women's tennis circuit this week. What began as a celebration of the relationship between the Australian tennis player of Russian origin and the former Olympic silver medalist in figure skating has ignited a new controversy involving Ukrainian athletes.

Kasatkina, who has represented Australia since 2025 and received Australian citizenship earlier this year, married Natalia Zabiiako in an intimate seaside ceremony. On social media, the couple shared a message that quickly went viral: "We had the best day. We celebrated love, freedom, and acceptance. Now, there are no words, only gratitude."

The former Russian number one publicly came out as gay in 2022 and has since become one of the most vocal critics in Russian sports regarding the war in Ukraine and the Kremlin's policies against the LGBTQ+ community. Her change of nationality to Australia was seen as another step in her pursuit of freedom to live her personal and professional life without constraints.

The ceremony brought together several figures from the WTA circuit, including Russian tennis players like Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Mirra Andreeva, and Viktoria Panteleeva, but also two Ukrainians, Nadia Kichenok and Yuliia Starodubtseva, whose presence did not go unnoticed.

Fellow Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova publicly criticized the two tennis players on social media after seeing a video of them dancing at the party.

"From the dancing at the wedding, I saw you have a lot of energy. Wouldn't you like to channel it into raising money for a vehicle for Ukrainian marines? With your audience and resources, you could do it quickly. Or can't you because your Russian friends wouldn't understand?" she wrote.

The post quickly gained traction, reigniting a debate that has accompanied the women's circuit since February 2022.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian tennis players have adopted a unified stance, refusing to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents at the end of matches, regardless of each athlete's public position on the conflict. Kichenok and Starodubtseva's presence at Kasatkina's wedding is viewed by some sectors as a break in that common front.

The case, however, takes on particular contours due to Daria Kasatkina's journey. The current Australian number one not only publicly condemned the invasion of Ukraine but also criticized Russian legislation against the LGBTQ+ community, stating that she no longer felt safe returning to the country. Her decision to stop representing Russia and compete for Australia was widely interpreted as a consequence of these positions.

Alongside Natalia Zabiiako—a former Olympic silver medalist in pairs at the PyeongChang 2018 Games—Kasatkina has also become one of the most prominent figures on the circuit, with both regularly sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of life in tennis through their YouTube channel, What The Vlog.

Even so, the controversy demonstrates that, more than four years after the war began, wounds remain open in the WTA circuit. Even an athlete who broke with Russia and spoke out against the invasion continues to be a source of division among Ukrainian players themselves, in an episode that highlights how deeply the conflict continues to affect personal relationships in elite sports.