“I will always have my Russian roots”: Anastasia Potapova opens up on nationality switch

Anastasia Potapova is having a great clay swing, in which she has accumulated 14 wins in 17 matches. The Russian-born player recently changed nationality after accepting Austrian citizenship, and for several months she has been competing under her new flag, quickly becoming the Austrian No. 1.

However, Potapova does not forget her Russian roots. Born in Saratov – about 850 km south of Moscow – the 25-year-old player spoke about her nationality change and how she does not leave her Russian roots behind.

“I will always have my Russian roots, that no one can take away from me,” Potapova said according to Punto de Break. “My family is still there, and the country has been a fundamental part of my life. Now I am looking to adapt to Austria, and the process is going well.”

The nationality change has brought Potapova back into the spotlight in the tennis world, rising in just one month from No. 97 to the top 40, and she has already secured her return to the top 30 thanks to a strong campaign in Rome – which ensures she will enter Roland Garros as a seeded player – something she had not achieved since the Australian Open 2024.

The Austrian started the clay swing in Linz, precisely as the main local representative, and the support of the crowd was key in reaching the final – her first WTA 500 final – although she eventually lost to Russian Mirra Andreeva in the final.

However, her good results did not stop there, reaching the semifinals at the Madrid Open – after entering the main draw as a lucky loser – and this time she is already in the fourth round of the Rome Open – again having to advance through qualifying.

After her strong run in Madrid – where she reached a WTA 1000 semifinal for the first time – Potapova had only a couple of days before debuting in the Rome qualifiers. As first seed in qualifying, she defeated Irina-Camelia Begu and Nikola Bartunkova to reach the main draw.

She is currently in an inspired form – with three consecutive wins in the main draw. She overcame her debut against Dalma Galfi and then eliminated the 11th seed Karolina Muchova and the 20th seed Liudmila Samsonova.

In the fourth round, she will face the challenge of Jessica Pegula, against whom she has five previous meetings – all wins for the American, although this will be their first clash on clay courts.

Potapova’s nationality change was one of the headlines of the off-season, being one of several players who left behind their Russian nationality – including Polina Kudermetova and Kamila Rakhimova.

Potapova had previously received criticism for her participation in an exhibition in St. Petersburg, sponsored by Gazprom, due to links to the war in Ukraine.

Recently, in her Madrid semifinal against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, there was no handshake despite the nationality change, and Kostyuk reiterated that she would not shake hands with her rival due to her Russian origin and her refusal to make statements regarding the war situation.

“There have been multiple players who have changed their nationality, but none of them have ever voiced anything against war or, you know, anything to support Ukraine. So, whatever, for me it doesn’t change,” said the Ukrainian – later Madrid Open WTA 1000 champion.

For now, Potapova is focusing her energy on her next clash against Pegula, where she will be seeking the ninth top-10 victory of her career. She will face her on Tuesday, where the former junior Wimbledon champion will look to return to the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000.

So far, this is her best run in Rome, and she has guaranteed that she will leave the tournament as at least world No. 28.