Russia’s top female tennis player Kasatkina admits lesbianism

 

Russia’s highest-ranked women’s tennis player Daria Kasatkina has revealed she is dating a woman in a coming-out video released yesterday.

The French Open semifinalist’s comments come as the Russian parliament discusses tightening already stringent restrictions on public discussions about LGBTQ relationships.

In the interview on YouTube with Russian blogger Vitya Kravchenko, 25-year-old Kasatkina said ‘yes’ when asked if she has a girlfriend.

Soon after the interview was released, Kasatkina posted a picture on Instagram of her embracing Olympic silver medalist figure skater Natalia Zabiiako, 27, with a heart emoji and called Zabiiako ‘my cutie pie’ in a Twitter post.

Estonian-born Zabiiako, who won her Olympic medal with the Russian team in 2018, posted the same picture on Instagram, also with a heart.

Zabiiako had previously pinned another image on to her Instagram page ten weeks ago to wish happy birthday to Kastkina, before the tennis star came out publicly yesterday

Kasatkina became emotional at the end of yesterday’s interview with Kravchenko, when he asked her whether she was afraid to return to her homeland.

He asked: ‘Aren’t you afraid you simply can’t go back to Russia?’

‘Yes I have thought about it,’ she said, before weeping on to his shoulder.

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Since 2013, Russian law has forbidden any discussion of LGBTQ relationships which is deemed to constitute ‘promotion of non-traditional sexual relations’ to minors.

Russian deputies yesterday proposed a new law which would completely ban ‘promotion’ of LGBTQ relationships in a positive or neutral light and on showing LBGTQ content in cinemas.

Moscow formally decriminalised homosexuality in 1993.