Daria Kasatkina set foot on Australian soil for her first ever match representing her new home country. Unfortunately it didn’t quite go to plan, with a 5-7 6-4 4-6 loss to Anastasia Potapova.
While disappointed not to be able to get her first win in Australia, Kasatkina was grateful for the support out on court.
“Honestly I felt great. The court was full, and the atmosphere was great. I couldn’t deliver the result I wanted, but overall I think the match was pretty good and entertaining.
Of course it’s obviously not the way I wanted to start the season, but it is what it is. In tennis there is no draw. There is one winner, one loser.”
While there was obviously nerves, there was also a sense of excitement, which had been building for some time.
“It was super emotional. It was tough, but at the same time, I was super nervous but also super excited. So there was this little mix of everything.
When I was stepping on court with all the cheer and everything, I almost start crying (smiling), but I was able to hold it.”
It’s understandable that the pressure of everything that has occurred in her life over the past few years, has accumulated, making it tough to play her best tennis. Kasatkina admitted that she feels like she owes Australia, so the extra pressure she puts on herself doesn’t make things easy.
“As I said before, last year has been too much for me, in many aspects of life and on court as well. Of course I know that nobody is putting this pressure on me. Only I put this pressure on me, because I want to represent Australia, show the result and everything.
Of course when it’s not happening, I feel bad. It’s tough, but all I can do is to work hard, go out there and leave everything on court.”
Kasatkina will play Adelaide next week, before stepping on to the biggest stage she’s ever faced…a home Grand Slam tournament.
It’s something she would never have expected to have in her tennis career. She needn’t be worried about the support she’ll get though. Because it seems the Australian public are going to come out in droves to get behind her.
With all she’s been through, who could begrudge her that?
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