Kamilla Rakhimova switches from Russia to Uzbekistan

Kamilla Rakhimova (Hameltion, Wikimedia Commons)

According to Dzevad Mesic of Tennis World on Wednesday, Russian tennis player Kamilla Rakhimova will now be competing internationally for Uzbekistan. The native of Yekaterinburg stated the reason why she made change is because she wants to have the opportunity to compete at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The decision was not supported by the Russian Tennis Federation. Shamil Tarpischev, the   Russian Tennis Federation president, called the change of national allegiances “a betrayal.”

There have been two tennis players this month who have left Russia for another nation. Anastasia Potapova of Saratov, the 51st ranked player, will now represent Austria. In April, Russian native Daria Ksatkina switched nationalities and now represents Australia.

Rakhimova is currently ranked 112th in the world. However, she was only ranked 12th among Russians. Rakhimova is behind Mirra Andreeva of Krasnoyarsk (ranked ninth), Ekaterina Alexandrova of Chelyabinsk (ranked 10th), Liudmila Samsonova of Olenegorsk (ranked 17th), Diana Shnaider of Zhigulevsk (ranked 21st), Veronika Kudermetova of Kazan (ranked 30th), Anna Kalinskaya of Moscow (ranked 33rd), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Samara (ranked 47th), Anna Blinkova of Moscow (ranked 62nd), Veronika Kudermetova of Moscow (ranked 92nd), Oksana Selekhmeteva of Kamenka (ranked 99th), and Anastasia Zakharova of Volgograd (ranked 105th).

Under Olympic qualification rules, there is a maximum of four singles players per country in each singles draw. Rakhimova is now the top ranked women’s tennis player from Uzbekistan.

Rakhimova has reached the third round at two grand slam tournaments. She has also won three women’s doubles titles.

Uzbekistan has won 50 medals at the Olympic Games. Twenty of the medals have come in boxing.