Russian tennis player Kamilla Rakhimova has officially joined Uzbekistan’s national team, the Uzbekistan Tennis Federation has confirmed.
The organisation said her move would strengthen the women’s squad. As of early December she stands 109th in the WTA rankings. Shamil Tarpishchev, head of the Russian Tennis Federation, stressed that her switch should not be viewed as an act of betrayal. He said Rakhimova’s decision to change sporting nationality was simply a desire to play more.
He noted that Rakhimova would not have made the cut for the Russian line-up but could have a chance with Uzbekistan, though Olympic qualification remains demanding.
«To reach the Olympics you must be in the top 60 or top 70,» he told TASS.
Born on August 28, 2001 in Yekaterinburg, the 24 year old has three WTA doubles titles to her name. Her career-high singles ranking is No 60, the Uzbek federation said.
According to Ubitennis, Rakhimova is currently competing at the WTA 125 tournament in Angers, France, where she defeated fellow Russian player Alina Korneeva 6-1 6-1 on Monday. She is now one of only two Uzbek representatives ranked inside the top 200.
Earlier, Kursiv Uzbekistan reported that tennis player Maria Timofeeva has also begun representing Uzbekistan.
