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Ranked 19th globally Daria Kasatkina announced she is at her "breaking point" and chose to conclude her tennis season early, labeling the intense schedule as "too much, mentally and emotionally."

The 28-year-old changed her citizenship from Russia to the Australian nation in the month of March, following public criticism regarding her home country's LGBTQ+ laws and the war in Ukraine.

She struggled for form throughout the season, failing to secure a title and finishing with a win-loss tally of 19-21.

The athlete attributed the mental strain from her nationality switch as a significant factor to her challenges, which included not seeing her parent for four years.

She wrote in a detailed post: "I have been far from fine for quite a while and, truth be told, my on-court showings show that."

"I am at my limit and unfortunately I am not alone," she added.

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

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

"Nonetheless, I believe I am resilient and will get stronger by taking a break and restoring my energy."

"The moment has come I listened to my own needs for once."

Fellow Athletes Similarly Halting Their Years Early

Ex-elite competitors Svitolina and Badosa have also ended their campaigns early in the past few weeks.

The Ukrainian star stated she had "not felt like myself", while Badosa has discussed the psychological impact of an ongoing back problem.

Other players have also spoken about the impact of the tennis calendar.

Five players retired injured in a pair of events in China last week, with six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek commenting the competitive year is "too long and intense."

Tour Requirements and Player Concerns

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) requires for elite athletes to participate in each Grand Slam, 10 WTA 1000 events and six 500-level tournaments.

The majority of 1000 events on the WTA and men's ATP Tour run for two weeks, as do all four major championships.

Players may miss mandatory events if they are hurt or have personal reasons, but they will receive no points for the standings or financial rewards if they opt out.

Former world number one Djokovic, who has reduced his schedule in recent years to preserve his health, has urged fellow professionals to be better aligned in forcing change.