Former Russia star Daria Kasatkina hits out at social media trolls as she begins her new life in Australia

“Then they blame us for losing the tennis match. OK, [turn the comments] closed.

“But still, even if you do that… a message or two will still haunt you.

“At the end of the day, if you want to be done with this for good, you have to forget about social media… don’t use it.

“So why? [do] I have to cut things just because other people aren’t happy with my situation [the] tennis court?

“So far we do not have a strong mechanism to prevent this, but frankly I hope that together with artificial intelligence we will achieve this. [artificial intelligence] and stuff like that, I think there’s a way to avoid that kind of abuse on the internet, especially after losing 7-6 in the third.

Kasatkina has had a turbulent few years. He went public with his relationship with figure skater Natalia Zabiiako four years ago, later explaining how relieved he was to finally be able to speak freely about issues like LGBTQ rights.

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Kasatkina sensationally switched her allegiance to Australia last March after her application for permanent residence was accepted by the federal government.

Tennis Australia, including boss Craig Tiley, sent him a letter supporting the application “for individuals with an internationally recognized record of outstanding and outstanding achievement in an appropriate field”, which includes sport.

After playing the Australian Open for more than a decade – first representing Russia and more recently competing as an “independent” to suit the requirements of Russian and Belarusian players amid the war in Ukraine – Kasatkina is overwhelmed by the thought of playing her first Melbourne Park major as an Australian.

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“[It’s] a truly special chapter of my life,” the world No.48 said, just minutes after posting a photo on Instagram showing off the final step of becoming an Australian.

“Yes, I will try to enjoy it as much as possible.”

Kasatkina has had mixed results so far in the Australian summer; After losing the first stage at the Brisbane International, he advanced to the last 16 at the Adelaide International.

But after reaching the fourth round of the AO last year, Kasatkina is pretty confident of storming a slam and is happy with where her game is at.

“He was definitely in a better place than most of last year, to be honest,” he said.

“Also, but most importantly, I am much, much better mentally.

“That’s the most important thing, because… especially at the end of last year, last season was very, very tough. You know, I was basically trying to get out of this hole. It’s never easy.”

Pressed further for citizenship that will soon allow him to wear the “green and gold” jersey and represent Australia in the team competition, Kasatkina said: “I honestly can’t explain what this means because it’s not just about the passport.

“Let’s just say it’s about acceptance. Because honestly… the support from people, from other citizens, I mean, it’s been incredible.”

“You know, I couldn’t have imagined that someone from a completely different background would get this much support from basically strangers.

“I felt so much love.

“I’m so proud and grateful to be fully Australian now. So it’s a responsibility, but it’s what I was looking for.”

“I’m truly grateful… I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay what this country has given me.”

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