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Emma Raducanusecond round opponent australian open Changed nationality last month and was accused of copying another player’s social media post when announcing the news.
Russian born Anastasia PotapovaThe world number 55 confirmed in December that she now competes for Austria, describing the country as “a place that I love, very welcoming and a place where I feel at home”.
But when announcing she became an Austrian citizen, Potapova used the same wording as the former Russian player Darya Kasatkina when she announced her intention to represent Australia March.
Kasatkina has since gained Australian citizenship, decided to be “myself”, became an openly gay footballer and criticized Vladimir Putin after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Potapova was asked about the similarities between her statement and Kasatkina’s after her first win at the Australian Open, and she responded: “Well, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it because you can’t put it in a better way. Why not? Yes, it’s the perfect words. I love it. We love my team, everybody.”
“So we gave it a try. I don’t think anything terrible happened. I think the media just sensationalized it because they didn’t like what happened to me. I mean, who cares about the post, right?”
Potapova said she had lived in Austria for several years before changing her nationality. “This didn’t happen out of the blue,” she said. “To be honest, we’ve been working on this for a long time.
“I actually do like Austria, especially Vienna. It’s my second home. Especially now that it’s my first home. So, I really like it.”
After the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing under their country’s name.
Potapova, whose career-high ranking is No. 21, faced criticism during the 2023 Indian Wells tournament when she Wearing Spartak Moscow jersey during practice.
Raducanu said she would be preparing for a tricky second-round match after the 24-year-old Potapova came from behind to defeat Susan Ramens in the first round.
“She was ranked very high. I remember watching Anastasia’s entire juniors, European Tennis Juniors, ITF No. 1 ranking. I was a grade below her.
“She’s always been a player to watch and beat in the juniors. She’s also ranked very high in the pros. She had a really tough match today, so that must have given her a lot of confidence.
“A great batsman. I know it’s going to be a very tricky match. I need to gather my strength and be as ready as possible for the next match.”