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Australia's leading female tennis athlete has decided to step away until the end of the tennis calendar, explaining she is at her “mental and emotional threshold.”

Reasons Behind the Decision

The Australian No. 1, who recently changed her citizenship to represent Australia, attributed the move for contributing to considerable “mental and emotional stress.”

Other reasons included the persistent struggle of being away from her family and the relentless tour schedule.

“My well-being has suffered for a long time and, honestly speaking, my on-court achievements reflect that,” she shared on her online accounts.

She continued, “The reality is, I've reached my limit and am unable to proceed. I need a break. A break from the tedious cycle of life on the tour, the suitcases, the results, the pressure, the familiar opponents (my apologies, everyone), everything that comes with this life.”

Private Difficulties and Upcoming Goals

“There's only so much I can manage and take as an individual woman, all whilst competing with the leading players in the world.”

“If people consider this a flaw, then that's acceptable, it's true. That said, I am confident in my resilience and will get stronger by being away, recharging, regrouping and renewing. The moment has come I paid attention to my instincts for a change, my mind, my heart and my physical self.”

Kasatkina opted to alter citizenship after exiting Russia due to fears for her security, having publicly spoken against the country's policies affecting the queer community and the invasion of Ukraine. First living in the Middle East, she settled in Melbourne and became a permanent resident in March.

She subsequently became engaged to companion a former Olympic figure skater, who won a silver medal for Russia at the PyeongChang Games after first representing for her birth nation Estonia.

Kasatkina also revealed she has not seen her parent, who still lives in her homeland, for four years.

Tennis Journey

A French Open semi-finalist in recent years, the player had concluded the previous four seasons in the elite group but is now ranked 19th after a modest season where she secured 19 victories against 21 defeats.

She is likely to exit the elite rankings by the time the Australian Open takes place.

The professional athlete announced she aims to resume in next year, “recharged and motivated,” with the lead-in to her home grand slam probably acting as a key objective.

Industry Impact

The nation's second-ranked player is Maya Joint, holding the 35th position.

Kasatkina is the most recent leading female player to end their season early, following Paula Badosa and Elina Svitolina, amid a recent trend of competitors stopping mid-game.

The tour governing body mandates top competitors to appear at a required schedule, encompassing the major tournaments, top-tier competitions, and lower-tier matches.

But top-ranked player a leading athlete stated in the past, “It's not feasible to squeeze it in the schedule. Maybe I will have to pick some tournaments and skip them, despite the fact that they are mandatory.

“We must think carefully about it - possibly disregarding about the regulations and just think what's beneficial for us.”