Tennis Star Daria Kasatkina And Former Olympic Skater Natalia Zabiiako Announce Engagement
The news caps off a year of major change for Kasatkina, who left Russia to play under the Australian flag and live more freely.
Tennis player Daria Kasatkina and former Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako are officially engaged.
The couple shared the news in a joint Instagram post, just as the women’s final was wrapping up at the French Open. The photo showed them holding hands, with a diamond ring visible on Zabiiako’s finger. The caption read simply, “And just like that💭💜”
Kasatkina and Zabiiako have been together publicly since 2022. They’ve become a visible and much-loved couple in the tennis world, not only for how open they’ve been about their relationship but also for their YouTube series What the Vlog?, which documents their life on tour. The latest episode, which came out just hours before their engagement post, didn’t hint at any big announcement, but the ring in the photo and Zabiiako’s familiar black nail polish offered some clues.
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The engagement comes at a time of transition for Kasatkina. Earlier this year, she announced she would begin representing Australia on tour, having been granted permanent residency. It was a decision that, by her own words, was closely tied to her ability to live openly and safely as a gay athlete.
“With everything going on in my previous country, I didn’t have much choice,” she told reporters at the Charleston Open in April. “For me, being openly gay, if I want to be myself, I have to make this step, and I did it.”
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Zabiiako, who won silver at the 2018 Winter Olympics for Russia, retired from skating several years ago. Since then, she’s been a steady and visible presence alongside Kasatkina, appearing in videos, supporting her at matches, and quietly building a life with her outside of sport.
The tennis community responded to the news with a wave of support. Katie Boulter, who got engaged to fellow player Alex de Minaur late last year, wrote “Ahhh congrats” in the comments. Jessica Pegula and Monica Puig also chimed in with their congratulations. Arina Rodionova, a close friend of the couple and a frequent face in their videos, left the most on-brand message: “I will be at the wedding regardless if you want it or not.”
For now, there’s not much time to celebrate. Kasatkina is already back on court, beginning her grass season at the WTA 500 event at Queen’s Club in London. She lost her first match there to Britain’s Sonay Kartal, but clearly has bigger things to smile about.
