Professional Player Daria Kasatkina Ends Campaign Prematurely, Pointing to Emotional Strain
Ranked 19th globally Daria Kasatkina stated she is at her "breaking point" and chose to conclude her tennis season early, describing the demanding calendar as "excessive, psychologically and personally."
The 28-year-old athlete switched her nationality from Russia to the Australian nation in March, following voiced concerns regarding her home country's LGBTQ+ laws and the war in the Ukrainian region.
She struggled with consistency this year, failing to secure a title and concluding with a record of 19 wins and 21 losses.
Kasatkina attributed the mental strain from her change of citizenship as a major contributor to her difficulties, which involve not seeing her father for four years.
She expressed in a detailed post: "I've been not okay for a long time and, honestly speaking, my on-court showings show that."
"I have reached my limit and unfortunately I am in the same boat as others," she added.
"Add in the mix the emotional and mental stress associated with my nationality switch and I can only handle so much I can manage and take as an individual woman."
"If this makes me weak, then so be it, I am not strong enough," she stated.
"However, I believe I am resilient and will get stronger by taking a break and restoring my energy."
"It's time I heeded my own needs for once."
Fellow Athletes Similarly Ending Their Years Prematurely
Former top-five players Elina Svitolina and Paula Badosa have also concluded their seasons ahead of time in the past few weeks.
Ukraine's Svitolina mentioned she had "not been feeling like myself", while the Spanish player has discussed the psychological impact of an ongoing spinal issue.
Additional athletes have voiced concerns about the effect of the tour schedule.
A quintet of competitors retired due to injury in a pair of events in the Chinese tournaments last week, with six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek saying the competitive year is "excessively lengthy and demanding."
Tour Regulations and Player Issues
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) requires for elite athletes to participate in each Grand Slam, 10 WTA 1000 events and six 500-level tournaments.
The bulk of premier tournaments on the WTA and men's ATP Tour last a fortnight, as do all four major championships.
Competitors can skip required tournaments if they are injured or have private matters, but they will not get any rankings points or prize money if they opt out.
Ex-top ranked player Novak Djokovic, who has slimmed down his tournament appearances in lately to protect his body, has urged players to be better aligned in advocating for reforms.
