New details have emerged regarding Polina Kuderetova's change in sports citizenship. In an interview with Sport24, renowned Russian tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov revealed that Polina's decision was influenced by her boyfriend, who is an Uzbek citizen.
"I personally know that Polina's boyfriend is a citizen of Uzbekistan. It was him who guided her towards this decision. This is quite normal," said Kafelnikov. He added that he does not view Polina's departure from Russian tennis as a significant loss.
The Uzbekistan Tennis Federation recently made an official announcement on the matter — Polina Kuderetova has officially joined Uzbekistan's national team. Prior to this, the Uzbekistan flag appeared on Polina’s profile on the official ITF website.
The year 2023 proved to be successful for Polina. At the beginning of the year, she reached the final at the Brisbane tournament and entered the top 100 of the world rankings for the first time.
In spring, her ranking climbed to 54th place; currently, she stands at 104th. Starting in 2024, Polina will be coached by Ravshan Sultanov in Uzbekistan.
Polina's older sister, Veronika Kuderetova, is a Wimbledon champion and a well-known tennis player. In the Uzbekistan national team, 22-year-old Polina Kuderetova will compete alongside Kamila Rakhimova and Maria Timofeeva.
Commenting on this trend, Shamil Tarpishchev, head of the Russian Tennis Federation and a member of the International Olympic Committee, noted that these changes do not affect the leading players of the national team.
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