A wedding in Greece was supposed to give Daria Kasatkina and Natalia Zabiiako a private moment away from the pressures of professional sport. Instead, the guest list has opened a painful argument inside Ukrainian women’s tennis.
Yuliia Starodubtseva and Nadiia Kichenok attended the celebration alongside several players born in Russia. Fellow Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova responded with sharp criticism. She questioned why her compatriots were dancing with Russian players while a $5,000 fundraiser for Ukrainian Marines remained unfinished.
Starodubtseva has now answered. She says she attended because Kasatkina is her friend and has openly opposed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. More personally, she insists her support for Ukraine did not begin when she became a recognised WTA player. Nor should it be judged through a short video from one private event.
What began as anger over a wedding guest list has become a raw dispute about friendship, patriotism and the private trauma Ukrainian players carry from tournament to tournament.
A Private Wedding Becomes A Locker Room Dispute
Kasatkina married former Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako after Wimbledon. The Women’s Tennis Association reported that the ceremony brought together a group of tour players including Mirra Andreeva, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Kamilla Rakhimova, Starodubtseva and Kichenok.
Footage later circulated of the guests singing and dancing together. Those brief clips soon became the centre of an argument that extended far beyond the celebration.
Oliynykova challenged the 2 Ukrainian players through Instagram Stories. She directed attention towards a campaign seeking $5,000 for a vehicle for Ukrainian Marines and suggested their larger audiences could help complete it. Her message ended with a pointed question about whether their Russian friends would support such an effort.
The comments dragged a private wedding into an already tense locker room debate. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian players have faced difficult choices over handshakes, photographs, shared events and personal relationships with Russian and Belarusian competitors.
Every interaction can carry political meaning. A photograph that appears harmless to one player may feel deeply painful to another whose family is living through the war.
Kasatkina’s history makes the situation less straightforward. She publicly called for the war to end in 2022 and became one of the most prominent Russian-born athletes to oppose the invasion. The BBC reported at the time that she criticized the conflict and acknowledged that speaking openly could carry serious personal consequences.
Her stance has also affected how some Ukrainian players treat her. Marta Kostyuk, who normally refuses to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents, greeted Kasatkina at the net after their 2025 match in Rome.
Kasatkina switched her national representation to Australia in March 2025 after receiving permanent residency. The WTA confirmed the change, with Kasatkina explaining that Australia had given her a place where she felt safe, accepted, and at home.
For Starodubtseva, that history mattered. She insisted she was there for Kasatkina and Zabiiako, not the rest of the guest list.
Starodubtseva Refuses A Public Loyalty Test
Starodubtseva addressed the backlash in a lengthy Instagram statement. She said she usually keeps her private life away from public view, but the criticism had reached a point where she felt compelled to respond.
Explaining her decision, Starodubtseva wrote that she had gone to “celebrate love” and was there “solely to support my friend.” She added that she could not control the guest list and should not be held responsible for every person invited to the ceremony.
Her defense went well beyond the wedding.
Starodubtseva stressed that her support for Ukraine is nothing new. She said she had advocated for her country while studying in the United States, long before earning her 1st WTA ranking point or gaining a sizeable public platform.
She spoke about Ukraine at college, raised awareness, and helped in other ways. Starodubtseva did not provide specific details, and she did not present her past efforts as proof that should place her beyond criticism. Her central point was that much of her support happened before people were watching.
The most personal part of her response concerned her family. Starodubtseva said the public does not know what they have endured. She also suggested that sharing certain details could place relatives in further danger.
She was not asking for sympathy but was setting a boundary.
For Starodubtseva, players should not have to broadcast every act of support or expose their family’s suffering to prove their patriotism. Social media may create that expectation, but she does not believe silence should be mistaken for indifference.
The scrutiny has intensified as her profile has grown. Starodubtseva reached her 1st WTA final in Charleston during the 2026 season and climbed to a career high ranking of No. 53. Her results have brought wider attention to her tennis, but they have also placed her private decisions under a brighter light.
Ukrainian Players Draw Different Lines During Wartime
Oliynykova’s anger cannot be dismissed as a routine internet disagreement. She lives and trains in Kyiv and has made support for Ukraine a central part of her public identity.
Her argument is direct. Ukrainian athletes represent more than themselves while the war continues, and every public interaction with Russian players sends a message. From that viewpoint, appearing in celebratory footage alongside Russians cannot be separated from the conflict.
To Oliynykova, wartime solidarity comes first. The usual boundary between professional sport and private friendship has largely disappeared.
Starodubtseva draws that boundary elsewhere. She sees Kasatkina as a friend who has clearly opposed the invasion, left Russian representation behind and accepted the personal consequences of speaking out. Attending her wedding, Starodubtseva argues, does not erase her Ukrainian identity or weaken her support for her country.
That difference is what makes the dispute so difficult.
Ukrainian players share locker rooms, practice courts, hotels and tournament grounds with athletes from Russia and Belarus throughout the season. Some avoid all unnecessary contact. Others make distinctions based on an individual player’s public stance or private behaviour.
Neither approach removes the emotional weight. Every handshake, photograph, and friendship is still viewed through the lens of the war.
Starodubtseva has now made her position clear. She will continue representing Ukraine every time she walks onto the court, but she will not accept one wedding invitation as the final measure of her loyalty.
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FAQs
Why did Yuliia Starodubtseva attend Daria Kasatkina’s wedding?
Starodubtseva said Kasatkina is her friend and has publicly opposed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She attended to support the couple.
Who criticized Starodubtseva for attending the wedding?
Fellow Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova criticized Starodubtseva and Nadiia Kichenok after footage showed them celebrating alongside Russian-born players.
What did Starodubtseva say about her support for Ukraine?
She said her support began long before she became a recognized WTA player. She rejected the idea that one private event could define her loyalty.
Why is Daria Kasatkina treated differently by some Ukrainian players?
Kasatkina publicly opposed the invasion and later switched her representation from Russia to Australia. Some Ukrainian players have acknowledged that stance.
What was Starodubtseva’s best WTA result in 2026?
She reached her first WTA final in Charleston and climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 53.
