Russian beauty switches nationality to Austria and gets harshly criticized by Kafelnikov; the "Little Cannon" takes part in the Olympic torch handover, while Zhang Shuai keeps going nonstop

Three minutes daily to catch up on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Friday, December 5, 2025. Welcome to the midday news report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

Last night Beijing time, foreign media reported that Russian beauty player Potapova declared she has switched her nationality to Austria. This follows Timofeeva and Lakhimova joining Uzbekistan, and Kasatkina switching to Australia, marking another case of a Russian player changing nationality. Potapova posted on social media, "I am delighted to announce that my Austrian citizenship application has been approved by the Austrian government. Austria is a place I deeply love; the hospitality here makes me feel at home. I adore Vienna and look forward to settling down there. At the same time, I am honored to announce that starting from 2026, I will represent my new homeland Austria in my professional tennis career."

Regarding Potapova’s nationality switch to Austria, Russian Tennis Federation Vice President and former world No.1 Kafelnikov expressed his displeasure in a media interview: "I don’t like to talk about this. Should I comment? She has made her decision, what else can I do? Should I cry? Is she a great athlete? Has she ever won anything for Russia? You can’t name one, nor can I. So, she can just get lost!"

Since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began, due to sanctions from Western countries, Russian athletes have been barred from many international competitions, only allowed to compete as individuals without nationality or flag displayed, and under multiple restrictions. This is the main reason many Russian players are switching their nationality to other countries.

Let’s turn to the Winter Olympics. Yesterday Beijing time, the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics torch handover ceremony was held at Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece. Milan Winter Olympics Organizing Committee Chair Malago received the torch from Greek Olympic Committee President Kouvélos. During the handover, Italian tennis star and "Little Cannon" Paolini was invited to participate and carried the flame back to Rome. Following this, the torch relay will cover approximately 12,000 kilometers from December 6 to February 6, 2026, celebrating in 60 cities.

Now focusing on the ATP Tour’s annual awards. Last night Beijing time, ATP announced the nominees for the best matches of the year. The five candidates are:

Miami: De Minaur vs Fonseca

Monte Carlo: Alcaraz vs Fucsovics

Washington: Moutet vs Medvedev

Vienna: Sinner vs Zverev

Athens: Djokovic vs Musetti

Which of these matches do you think stands out the most?

Additionally, in the ATP’s previously announced candidates for best shot of the year, Chinese rising star Shang Juncheng is listed. His behind-the-back shot plus forehand passing winner at this year’s China Open amazed everyone.

Other nominees include:

January: Hurkacz (United Cup)

February: Paul (Dallas)

March: Dimitrov (Indian Wells)

April: Alcaraz (Monte Carlo)

May: Djokovic (Geneva)

June: Mejdovich (Mallorca)

July: De Zúñiga (Umag)

August: Kecmanovic (Toronto)

September: Shang Juncheng (Beijing)

October: Norrie (Paris)

In other news, during the second round of the WTA125 Angers singles, 6th seed and Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai lost 1-6, 4-6 to German Barthel, suffering her fifth consecutive defeat against her and missing the quarterfinals. Next week, Zhang will keep competing, joining players like Krejcikova, Parks, and Bouzkova at the Limoges 125K event.

Finally, let’s play a guessing game. The photo below shows a player on vacation. Without any hints, can you identify who he is?

Last time’s guess was correct. Yes, the person in the picture is the Polish star Swiatek.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Thinker)