Daria Kasatkina, the world's bravest tennis player

For the first half-dozen years of her pro career, Daria Kasatkina was known as an ascending player, whose tennis was predicated on brains, not brawn, using her racket less as a high-powered weapon than a scalpel. She was known throughout tennis by her nickname, Dasha. She was not known for being political, or particularly outspoken.

Then, in February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, and she condemned her country for it.

Asked if she was surprised by the level of courage she had in speaking out, Kasatkina replied, "Yes, I was. Because I'm in general a very careful person. I will think 300 times before saying something. If some topic like this will come up, I almost probably just sit in the corner without saying anything. But then in one moment, I just realized that no, I cannot just sit and not say anything."