Polina Kudermetova is the latest Russian-born player to switch her allegiance to another country as the world No. 104 will represent Uzbekistan from now on.
Kudermetova, who was born in Moscow, played her first pro-level matches in 2018 and won nine ITF titles while competing for Russia. After enjoying success on the lower-tier circuit, the 22-year-old put up a great run at the WTA 250 tournament in Brisbane at the start of the 2025 season when she made the final as a qualifier - even won the opening set against Aryna Sabalenka - before losing in three sets to the world No. 1. During the 2025 season, she also achieved a career-high ranking of No. 54 in the world and collected her first Grand Slam main-draw win at the US Open.
Ahead of 2026, Kudermetova decided to change her sporting nationality. Now, that makes it three Russian-born players who have done so this offseason - Kamila Rakhimova switched to Uzbekistan while Anastasia Potapova started representing Austria. Earlier this year, Maria Timofeeva also switched her allegiance to Uzbekistan, while Daria Kasatkina now plays under the Australian flag.
How Russian Tennis Federation President Shamil Tarpischev reacted when Rakhimova started to represent Uzbekistan?
After world No. 97 Rakhimova decided to change her sporting nationality, Tarpischev said it was probably the 24-year-old's desire to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"This isn't betrayal, but a desire to play. She remains Russian, but she's simply changing her sporting citizenship. These moves are happening because of the upcoming Olympics. She wouldn't have made our national team. She could make it for Uzbekistan. But it's not a given that she'll make it. To qualify for the Olympics, you need to be in the top 60 or top 70," Tarpischev told Russian news agency TASS after the Rakhimova news.
