"I just know how to hold you": Daria Kasatkina trades in her tennis racquet for ice skates on night out with figure-skater girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako

Daria Kasatkina took a break from tennis for a night of figure skating with her girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako.

Daria Kasatkina broke the Russian taboo when she came out as gay in July 2022. Speaking to blogger Vitya Kravchenko, Kasatkina mentioned that it would not have been sustainable for her to keep her sexual orientation hidden in the long term as it would have required her to devote a significant amount of effort and attention to that aspect of her life exclusively.

Kasatkina expressed her relief and happiness at finally being able to live her life openly and without fear.

"Living in peace with yourself is the only thing that matters, and fuck everyone else," Kasatkina said at the time.

The Russian took a short break from tennis as she enjoyed a night of figure skating with her girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako, who is a competitive pair skater.

"Switched Tennis for Ice Skating for one night," Zabiiako wrote on Instagram.

Kasatkina also shared the photo on her Instagram, joking that she just wanted to make sure Zabiiako knew how to skate.

"Making sure she knows how to skate," Kasatkina cheekily captioned the post on Instagram.

Zabiiako replied to the post with love, stating that she only knew how to hold her girlfriend.

"I’m not sure I know. I just know how to hold you," Zabiiako wrote back.

This is not the first time the pair have switched roles as Zabiiako tried her hand at tennis earlier in the month.

Daria Kasatkina parts ways with long-time coach Carlos Martinez

Daria Kasatkina at the Dubai Tennis Championships

Daria Kasatkina ended her partnership with coach Carlos Martinez after a period of four years. She revealed the news on Zabiiako's vlog and talked about her experience at the recently concluded Qatar Open.

"Of course it was scary. To end such a long relationship—working relationship!—it was hard. We worked almost four years together. It's a little scary during the season, when you don't know a person and you start working during the tournament.” Kasatkina said about her decision.

Carlos Martinez revealed that the World No.'s 8's off-court activities motivated the split. He expressed that he was not surprised by Daria Kasatkina's decision to stop working with him, although he was saddened by it. He acknowledged that they had a strong connection on the court, but he believed that certain aspects of Kasatkina's off-court life were not conducive to her career.

"It was not a big surprise. I was very sad because I loved working with Dasha. She is a great girl and a great player. I think our connection on the court was really good but in the end, there were things about what she was doing off the court," Martinez said.

Martinez revealed that they had disagreements about how she should conduct herself off the court, and he suspected that she became tired and disagreed with his perspective, which led to her decision to part ways.

"In my opinion, these were not the best for her career. That’s why she has decided to stop because our last conversation was the same way. Then I think she was a bit tired and not agreeing with my point of view of how she has to do things off the court," he added.

Daria Kasatkina will be coached by former tennis player Flavio Cipolla moving forward.