Kasatkina ready for Brisbane after mental health reset

Australia's Daria Kasatkina said she feels mentally recharged ahead of her return to tennis at the Brisbane International after taking a six-week mental health break.

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Russian-born Kasatkina, who switched nationality in March, shut her season down in October citing the mental strain of a heavy tour schedule and emotional stress from her battle to gain full Australian competition eligibility.

"For us tennis players, it is very difficult to accept that you need a break," she told Australian Associated Press on Tuesday.

"We have tournament after tournament and we have to defend the points from the previous season which is an additional anxiety. I just felt that if I pushed for longer I would have got in a deeper hole." Kasatkina, who has not returned to Russia in over two years after coming out as gay and speaking out against the war in Ukraine, said it took her some time to be at ease away from tennis.

"The first three weeks was a disaster," she said.