Australian Open star addresses ‘copying’ rival’s statement following nationality switch | Tennis | Sport
Anastasia Potapova switched allegiances from Russia to Austria during the off-season (Image: Getty)
Anastasia Potapova has responded after being accused of “copying” Daria Kasatkina’s statement about switching nationality. Last March, Kasatkina announced that she would no longer represent Russia and had switched her allegiance to Australia. In an emotional statement, the former world No. 8 said: “Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and is a place where I feel totally at home.”
During the recent off-season, Potapova also decided to stop representing Russia and now plays under the Austrian flag. And eagle-eyed fans noticed that the statement she issued to announce her switch was almost a word-for-word replica of Kasatkina’s, with Austria and Wien replacing Australia and Melbourne.
In December, one fan shared a screenshot of Kasatkina and Potapova’s statements side by side, and accused Potapova of “copying” her words. Kasatkina replied with a skull emoji, adding: “And no, we are not from same agency.”
Potapova is now in action at the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam tournament as an Austrian player, and she addressed the similarities between her post and Kasatkina’s. Asked how it happened, the world No. 55 seemed to confirm that she did use the Aussie’s words.
“Well, I don’t find anything wrong with that because you cannot say it in a better way. And why not? And yeah, it was perfect words. I loved it. We loved it with my team, with everyone,” Potapova replied.
“So, yeah, we gave it a shot. I don’t think that it’s something terrible happened. I think the media just blew it up just because they didn’t like me with the fact of it happening. I mean, who cares about posts, right?”
Daria Kasatkina responded on social media after Anastasia Potapova ‘copied’ her statement (Image: Getty)
Asked whether she spoke to Kasatkina about her decision to use the same statement, the Austrian added: “We talk a lot. We’re actually good friends. About especially this, no, because nobody cares. I tell you one thing. Yeah. There is nothing much to say to be honest.”
Potapova came from a set down to outlast Suzan Lamens 3-6 7-5 6-2 in her opening match, and now faces Emma Raducanu in the second round. After playing, and winning, as an Austrian, she said: “To be honest, when I saw it I got little goosebumps on the court.
“It feels amazing, to be honest. I really do feel the support from people. I’m getting a lot of messages from Austrian people. I really feel proud of representing this country now. I swear I’m going to try to do my best.
“I have been living there for last couple of years, actually. I didn’t happen all of a sudden. We have been working on it for long time to be honest. I actually do like Austria, and Vienna especially. Yeah, it’s my second home. Especially now it’s my first home. So, I really like it.”
