Since 2022, nine Russian tennis players have shed their sporting nationality, a trend shaking the foundations of the country’s tennis program. Russian players have competed as neutral athletes on the ATP and WTA Tours and remain banned from the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. Several athletes have since changed their sporting nationality, with Anastasia Potapova becoming the latest. But when asked if rising star Mirra Andreeva would be the tenth, the nation’s tennis chief had a blunt, two-letter response.

Asked by the Russian sports website Championat whether there was any concern that the current Russian No. 1 Mirra Andreeva might change nationality, Shamil Tarpischev gave a sharp and clear reply.

“No. Neither she [Andreeva] nor Shnaider. Imagine I have 1,070 tennis players playing abroad. They’re like army men! And we keep 350 on our national teams. The rest are on their own.”

Since February 2022, nine Russian players have switched their sporting nationality. Before the conflict, players like Elena Rybakina, Alexander Bublik, and Yulia Putintseva moved to Kazakhstan mainly for financial reasons. While nationality changes are not new, the rise in switches since 2022 has been significant.

Anastasia Potapova became the fourth player this year to change nationality. She followed Kamila Rakhimova and Maria Timofeeva, who now represent Uzbekistan, and Daria Kasatkina, who represents Australia. The trend has drawn attention as more players look for stability, support, or new opportunities abroad.

Rumors about Andreeva’s future are not new. In 2023, speculation surfaced that she might seek French citizenship after being confirmed for Netflix’s second Break Point season. Craig Shapiro, host of a tennis podcast, even suggested she could follow Varvara Gracheva’s path.

However, those rumors were quickly shut down. Mirra Andreeva’s agent, Lev Kassil, firmly denied the claims.

“Today’s information about Mirra receiving French citizenship is erroneous. We are preparing a refutation.” 

Now, with Tarpischev again dismissing the possibility of Andreeva joining another nation, he has also commented on Potapova’s recent decision to switch her sporting nationality.

Tarpischev offers his reaction to Anastasia Potapova’s nationality switch

Just a couple of days ago, Anastasia Potapova used her Instagram account to confirm a major change in her career. She announced that she would officially represent Austria starting in 2026. Her decision came shortly after world No. 112 Rakhimova’s switch to Uzbekistan was confirmed by the Uzbek Tennis Federation.

Potapova, ranked No. 51, was only the seventh-highest-ranked Russian player on the WTA Tour. Now, she becomes Austria’s No. 1 player and the country’s highest-ranked woman since July 2014.

Tarpischev now shared what he believed might have motivated Potapova’s decision. He suggested that the chance to compete in the Billie Jean King Cup and the Olympic Games likely played a role.

“I can’t say anything about Potapova. For us, if this isn’t a complete surprise, then it’s a surprise that she did it. She lived in Austria for two years. I can only assume she wants to participate in the Olympics. She doesn’t make our team based on the rankings. She kept complaining about visa problems. It disrupts our rhythm. Purely mundane things. Athletes don’t change their home countries, but their sporting citizenship. Because everyone wants to play. Why do they leave at this time? Because other countries are recruiting for the Olympics and, as a rule, they take our reserves. They pay a lot of money,” he explained.

Tarpischev added more thoughts on the topic.

“It’s a combination of a person’s thinking about how to play better and how to best achieve results. With this attitude, they change their sporting citizenship, but not their home country.”

With the speculation now resolved, Andreeva heads into 2026 after a strong 2025 season that included two Masters titles. The focus now shifts to whether she can rise to the moment again and produce another deep run at the year’s first major, the Australian Open.