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Ranked 19th globally the tennis professional announced she is at her "limit" and has decided to conclude her tennis season early, characterizing the demanding calendar as "too much, mentally and emotionally."

The 28-year-old athlete changed her citizenship from the Russian Federation to Australia in March, after public criticism regarding her home country's LGBTQ+ regulations and the war in the Ukrainian region.

She struggled with consistency this year, not managing to win a tournament and finishing with a win-loss tally of 19-21.

Kasatkina linked the mental strain from her change of citizenship as a significant factor to her difficulties, which included not visiting with her parent for four years.

She expressed in a lengthy statement: "I have been far from fine for quite a while and, truth be told, my results and performances reflect that."

"I have reached my limit and sadly I am not alone," she continued.

"Add in the situation the emotional and mental stress associated with my nationality switch and I can only handle so much I can deal with and take as an single person."

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

"Nonetheless, I believe I am resilient and will grow stronger by being away and recharging."

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

Fellow Athletes Similarly Halting Their Years Early

Ex-elite competitors Elina Svitolina and Badosa have also concluded their campaigns ahead of time in the past few weeks.

Ukraine's Svitolina stated she had "not been feeling like myself", while Badosa has spoken about the mental toll of an persistent back problem.

Additional athletes have voiced concerns about the effect of the tour schedule.

A quintet of competitors withdrew due to injury in a pair of events in the Chinese tournaments recently, with six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek commenting the season is "excessively lengthy and demanding."

Tour Regulations and Player Issues

The WTA has made it mandatory for top players to compete in every Grand Slam, ten premier events and six secondary competitions.

The bulk of 1000 events on the women's and men's circuits run for a fortnight, as do all four Grand Slams.

Competitors may miss required tournaments if they are injured or have personal reasons, but they will not get any rankings points or prize money if they do not play.

Ex-top ranked player Novak Djokovic, who has reduced his schedule in recent years to preserve his health, has called on fellow professionals to be better aligned in advocating for reforms.