Yevgeny Kafelnikov doesn't seem to be sad about Polina Kudermetova changing her allegiance to Uzbekistan as the former two-time Grand Slam champion says he "does not consider it a loss" for Russian tennis.
At the start of the week, it was announced that Moscow-born Kudermetova - who represented Russia in the first six years of her pro career - would play under the Uzbekistani flag from now on.
Since starting her career, the 22-year-old has enjoyed success on the lower-tier, winning a total of nine tournaments. At the start of 2025, the player currently ranked at No. 104 also made her first WTA final in Brisbane before losing to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. A few months after finishing as runner-up in Brisbane, she also achieved a career-high ranking of No. 54 in the world.
Kafelnikov: Kudermetova's departure won't impact Russia in any way... I don't consider it a loss
"Only our federation's president, Shamil Tarpischev, can officially announce Polina Kudermetova's transfer to the Uzbek flag. I personally know that Polina's boyfriend is an Uzbek citizen. He's the one who got her involved; it's completely normal practice. I don't consider Kudermetova's departure a loss for our tennis. She made her decision, and it won't affect Russia in any way. What kind of athlete will she be remembered as? I can't even comment on that," 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medalist Kafelnikov said, via Championat.
Two weeks earlier, Russian-born Kamila Rakhimova also changed her citizenship to Uzbekistan. With her ranking of No. 97, Rakhimova is the top-ranked Uzbekistani female tennis player, while Kudermetova is the Uzbekistani No. 2 now.
Earlier this year, rising star Maria Timofeeva also started representing Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, Daria Kasatkina now plays for Australia and Anastasia Potapova represents Austria.
When confirming Kudermetova as their new players, the Uzbekistan Tennis Federation said the move would help tennis grow in their country.
