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Ranked 19th globally Daria Kasatkina announced she is at her "breaking point" and has decided to end her competitive year early, characterizing the demanding calendar as "too much, mentally and emotionally."

The 28-year-old switched her nationality from the Russian Federation to Australia in March, following public criticism regarding her nation's LGBTQ+ regulations and the ongoing conflict in the Ukrainian region.

She struggled for form this year, not managing to secure a title and finishing with a record of 19-21.

Kasatkina attributed the mental strain from her nationality switch as a significant factor to her difficulties, which included not visiting with her father for several years.

She expressed in a detailed post: "I've been far from fine for quite a while and, truth be told, my on-court showings show that."

"I am at breaking point and unfortunately I am in the same boat as others," she continued.

"Combine the situation the emotional and mental stress associated with my citizenship change and there is only so much I can deal with and take as an individual woman."

"If this makes me fragile, then I accept it, I'm weak," she stated.

"Nonetheless, I know I am resilient and will get stronger by being away and restoring my energy."

"The moment has come I listened to myself for a change."

Fellow Athletes Similarly Ending Their Years Prematurely

Former top-five players Elina Svitolina and Paula Badosa similarly ended their seasons early in the past few weeks.

The Ukrainian star mentioned she had "not been feeling her usual self", while Badosa has spoken about the psychological impact of an ongoing spinal issue.

Other players have voiced concerns about the effect of the tennis calendar.

A quintet of competitors withdrew due to injury in a pair of events in the Chinese tournaments recently, with multiple major winner Iga Swiatek commenting the season is "too long and intense."

WTA Regulations and Player Issues

The WTA has made it mandatory for top players to participate in each Grand Slam, ten premier events and six 500-level tournaments.

The bulk of premier tournaments on the WTA and men's ATP Tour run for two weeks, as do all four major championships.

Competitors can skip required tournaments if they are injured or have private matters, but they will not get any rankings points or prize money if they do not play.

Ex-top ranked player Novak Djokovic, who has slimmed down his schedule in lately to preserve his health, has called on players to be more united in forcing change.