Abu Dhabi Open Issues Apology for Nationality Error Involving Daria Kasatkina

Russian tennis star Daria Kasatkina was incorrectly listed as Spanish during the tournament's draw, raising concerns over potential repercussions.

The Abu Dhabi Open mistakenly displayed the Spanish flag alongside Daria Kasatkina’s name during the draw ceremony, prompting swift backlash and speculation.
Kasatkina’s team denied any plans to switch nationalities, emphasizing that the error could have serious consequences if misinterpreted by Russian authorities.
The tournament organizers apologized publicly, attributing the mistake to an administrative error by a supplier, and confirmed the correction had been made.
Kasatkina has been competing as a neutral athlete since Russian and Belarusian players were banned from representing their countries due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The 27-year-old, who resides in Spain and has spoken out against the war and Russia’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies, is seeded third in the Abu Dhabi tournament.