"Andreeva will change her nationality; it's only a matter of time"

Mirra Andreeva has found herself in an unexpected debate in recent days, as her compatriot Andrei Cheskonov has claimed that the young Russian tennis player will soon change her nationality due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has led to a military conflict since 2022. Russian athletes are caught between a rock and a hard place, and the former world number 9 believes that Mirra will not hesitate to make the change. 

“I believe Andreeva will change her nationality; it’s just a matter of time. She lives and trains in France, so she will definitely leave, but our other top leaders… The trend now is for everyone to leave. As you can see, each person chooses what is most comfortable for them,” he stated in an interview with Sport RBC, noting that this is more common in the women’s field than in the men’s. In fact, tennis players like Daniil Medvedev, Karen Khachanov, or Andrey Rublev have not even considered it, preferring to play as neutral athletes.

In the women’s circuit, it has become a trend for Ukrainian tennis players to refuse to greet Russian players who do not change their nationality, and it’s worth noting that they have been excluded from the Billie Jean King Cup, just like the players from the men’s circuit in the Davis Cup. Since the war began in Ukraine, some tennis players like Alina Charaeva, Oksana Selekhmeteva (now of Spanish nationality), Alisa Oktiabreva, Anna Blinkova, Daria Kasatkina, Maria Timofeeva, Kamila Rakhimova, Anastasia Potapova, and Polina Kudermetova have left Russia and changed their nationality.

Andreeva does not currently consider changing her nationality

In the case of Andreeva, it’s important to note that she has not given any hints about whether she will take the step to change her nationality to calm the waters, as the last time she was asked about it was when Kasatkina decided to nationalize as Australian, one of the most notable examples in recent months.

"I hadn't even thought about it, I’ve heard and seen it lately, especially about Kasatkina and how she changed her citizenship. Many players have changed nationality, but I'm going to keep playing as I have been. I haven't received any offers or anything like that, so, for now, I'll continue this way,” she declared. Therefore, barring any surprises, Andreeva will continue to represent the Russian flag in the tournaments she participates in, although in her statements, she did not close the door to changing her mind in the future.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Andreeva se cambiará de nacionalidad, es solo cuestión de tiempo"