*This content was translated by AI.
Anastasia Potapova (25), the "beauty star" who stunned the tennis world by naturalizing in Austria from Russia in December 2025, has expressed strong pride in her roots. While she changed her nationality, she made it clear that her identity as a Russian will never change. Although she was forced to change her nationality due to sanctions, she has not abandoned her pride in being Russian.
According to a report by Spanish tennis specialty media "Punto de Break" on the 11th (Korea time), Potapova recently emphasized in an interview, "No one can ever take away my Russian roots from me."
Potapova, currently ranked 38th in the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) world rankings, is a top-level player who once reached as high as 21st. She earned prize money of $726,000 (approximately 1.1 billion won) this season alone. Her career prize money totals $6.038 million (approximately 8.9 billion won). Although she has no major tournament titles, she has won three women's singles titles. Her record this season is 16 wins and 11 losses.
Potapova surprised fans by announcing her acquisition of Austrian nationality ahead of the 2026 season. At the time of her nationality change, she stated that Vienna, Austria, felt like home, suggesting that the decision was driven not just by a formal change of nationality but by the need to find emotional stability in a new environment.
In fact, practical calculations based on the international situation cannot be overlooked. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian and Belarusian players have been barred from using their national flags at international tournaments and faced significant restrictions on participating in team events. Naturalizing in Austria provided Potapova with the opportunity to compete again as an official national representative and allowed her to somewhat shed the psychological and social burden associated with the label "Russian-born."
However, her "love for her homeland" remained unchanged even after naturalization. Born in Saratov, Russia, Potapova raised her voice, saying, "I will always have roots in Russia. My family still lives there, and Russia was the foundation of my life." She added regarding her current life in Austria, "I am working hard to adapt to the new environment, and the process is going smoothly."
Potapova, who has many fans due to her outstanding skills and glamorous appearance on the court, is showing a trend of emphasizing her "Russian soul" even after gaining the "shield" of Austrian nationality. As a result, the tennis world's gaze toward her in the future is expected to become even more divided.
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*This content was translated by AI.
