Daria Kasatkina erroneously listed with Spanish nationality in Abu Dhabi draw ceremony

Daria Kasatkina was incorrectly listed as representing Spain during the official draw ceremony for the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Sunday, fueling what her management later called "incorrect" speculation that she will be, or has any plan to, switch nationalities.

The tournament later apologized for what it called an "administrative mistake" that "has now been corrected." But representatives for Kasatkina, who reached the final in Abu Dhabi last year, later told BBC Sport that the error could be "potentially quite harmful" to her.

Russian and Belarusian tennis players, including Kasatkina, have played as neutral athletes, listed without a flag, since shortly after the Russian government's decision to invade Ukraine, with Belarusian support, nearly three years ago. The 27-year-old has not returned to Russia in the last two-and-a-half years, following her decision to both come out as a lesbian and condemn her home nation's invasion of its sovereign neighbor in an interview with a Russian vlogger in July of 2022.

Kasatkina currently lives in Dubai, and has trained in Barcelona, Spain for many years.

"This carries some strong implications for Daria if the Russian authorities feel she is trying to switch—which she is not," a spokesperson said, adding: "We can categorically deny she is switching to Spain."

In the aftermath of Kasatkina's initial declarations, one Russian politician unsuccessfully called for her to be listed as a "foreign agent," someone deemed by the Russian authorities to be acting against the nation's interests. The "promotion" of LGBTQ+ identity has been illegal in Russia since 2013, and the country also has since passed laws making opposition of its Ukrainian invasion a criminal offense.

Kasatkina said in an interview with ESPN's D'arcy Maine last year that she had no regrets for speaking out, despite expecting "consequences" for saying "many things which changed my life."

Kasatkina is seeded No. 3 at the WTA 500 event, which begins Monday, behind defending champion Elena Rybakina and Paula Badosa.