Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, all international tournaments have been suspended in Russia and players from the country have been banned from a number of major events, including Wimbledon. Russian tennis is hence going through a major crisis, but it looks like this is just the beginning. Over time, these restrictions could lead to the sport completely fading away in this country that was not long ago dominating the WTA Top 100.
This article is based on world No.12 Daria Kasatkina’s recent interview with YouTuber Vitya Kravchenko. The highest-ranked WTA player from Russia, based in Barcelona, explains why children in Spain have a much better chance of taking up the sport and why future of professional tennis in Russia is very grim.