By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, December 4, 2025Photo credit: Anastasia Potapova Instagram
Anastasia Potapova has made a dramatic citizenship change ahead of the 2026 season.
The 24-year-old Potapova announced today that her application for Austrian citizenship has been granted. Potapova, who was born in Saratov, Russia, will play as an Austrian starting next month.
“I am delighted to let you all know that my application for citizenship has been accepted by the Austrian Government,” Potapova said in an Instagram post today. “Austria is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home. I love being in Wien and look forward to making my second home there.
“As part of this I am proud to announce that starting from 2026 I will be representing my new homeland Austria in my professional tennis career from this point onwards.”
Former world No. 21 Potapova joins several former Russian stars who have changed countries.
Last March, Daria Kasatkina announced she was changing nationality from Russian to Australian.
“Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home,” Kasatkina posted to X. “I love being in Melbourne and look forward to making my home there.
“As part of this, I am proud to announce that I will be representing my new homeland, Australia, in my professional tennis career from this point onwards.”
Kasatkina, who came out as gay in 2022, has cited Russia’s treatment of the LGBTQ community and the fact she did not feel safe in her homeland after criticizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as factors in her decision to move to Australia.
“I will always have respect and fond appreciation for my roots, but I am thrilled to start this new chapter in my career and my life under the Australian flag,” Kasatkina posted on social media.
Potapova’s public switch to Austria comes a few days after the Uzbekistan Tennis Federation announced Russian Kamilla Rakhimova will now represent Uzbekistan in what the Federation called “a historic event” for the nation’s tennis federation.
“We are delighted to welcome Kamilla to the national team,” Sardor Kamilov said in comments published by UZ Daily.com. “We are confident that new successes and impressive performances under the flag of Uzbekistan lie ahead.”
Moscow-born Elena Rybakina changed citizenship from Russia to Kazakhstan back in June, 2018 largely to receive funding for her tennis career from Kazakhstan.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina has gone on to make history as the first Kazakh to crack the world’s Top 10.
Rybakina’s switch came about six years after Moscow-born Yulia Putintseva left the Russian Tennis Federation to represent Kazakhstan.
