World No.78 Elina Avanesyan is poised to represent Armenia on the WTA Tour, following her application for Armenian citizenship. The Russian-born tennis player, originally from Pyatigorsk, has deep familial ties to Armenia.
In an interview with Sportball24 last year, Elina’s father, Ararat, shared their family’s history. They hail from Nagorno-Karabakh and relocated to Pyatigorsk after the 1992 war, where Elina and her two siblings were born. The family’s connection to Armenia has always been strong, with frequent visits and a deep sense of heritage. Ararat explained, “We visited Armenia many times with our family, we also went to Karabakh to show our children our homeland.