Russian tennis player Blinkova switches allegiance to France

Russian-born tennis player Anna Blinkova, the world number 94, announced on Friday that she now represents France.

“After all these years spent in France, between my city, Cannes, and the tournaments, this country has become much more than a training base: it has become my country,” the 28-year-old said in a post on Instagram.

She said she was “deeply happy and proud” to be able to represent France on the world stage.

Born in Moscow, Blinkova, who has represented Russia in the Billie Jean King Cup, once reached a career-high ranking of 34th in the world, and has won two WTA 250 singles titles on hard courts in Jiujiang (2025) and Cluj-Napoca (2022).

Her switch makes her the French number two, behind Diane Parry, who is ranked number 30 in the world.

Blinkova is currently playing the WTA 250 tournament in Sao Paulo, where on Friday she faces Russian-born Armenian player Alina Charaeva in the quarter-finals.