Kasatkina at 'breaking point' as she ends tennis season early

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Russia-born Australian tennis player Daria Kasatkina says she's ending the season early for the sake of her mental wellbeing after hitting “breaking point” on tour.

The 19th-ranked Kasatkina, a French Open semifinalist in 2022, said Monday she has been left drained by the constant travel on the tour schedule, a stressful process to gain permanent residency in Australia, and being unable to see her parents.

Kasatkina, who is engaged to figure skating Olympic medalist Natalia Zabiiako, told the Times of London in 2023 that she can't go back to Russia "as a gay person who opposes the war" in Ukraine.

"Truth is, I've hit a wall and can't continue. I need a break. A break from the monotonous daily grind of life on the tour, the suitcases, the results, the pressure, the same faces (sorry, girls), everything that comes with this life," Kasatkina wrote on Instagram.

"The schedule is too much, mentally and emotionally I am at breaking point and sadly, I am not alone."

She added she plans to return in 2026 "energized and ready to rock".

Kasatkina said she had been "far from fine for a long time" and her results on court had suffered while she "kept a lid" on how she felt for fear of seeming ungrateful.

She's the latest in a series of players including Elina Svitolina and Beatriz Haddad Maia who have opted to end their seasons early for extra rest.

Kasatkina's last match on tour was a straight-set loss to Sonay Kartal in the second round of the China Open on Sept. 27 and her last tour title was at the Ningbo Open in Oct. 2024.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis