The WTA Tour has always balanced fierce competition with a strong sense of individuality. This season, several openly queer women are making their mark – winning titles, representing new nations, and showing that visibility can be as much a part of the game as skill.
Daria Kasatkina
Daria Kasatkina’s game has always been about craft over chaos – those looping forehands, the clever angles, the ability to turn a rally into a slow-burn masterclass she’s ranked inside the top 20 and recently deep in Grand Slams.
Kasatkina came out in 2022 and has since taken bold steps vocally opposing Russia’s anti‑LGBTQ stance and its war in Ukraine. In early 2025, she made headlines by switching allegiances: now she plays under the Australian flag, after she had made the move to Melbourne, Australia.
Off the court, she’s happily open about her relationship with her girlfriend, Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako, and together they’ve built a life that feels unfiltered and very cute.
Nadia Podoroska & Guillermina Naya
They’ve been Argentina’s low‑profile power couple for a solid two years, but come November 2023, Nadia Podoroska and Guillermina Naya decided to turn their partnership into something more than just romance – they became official doubles teammates. Playing alongside your significant other? That’s bold, and not every relationship could do it.
Back in October 2022, Podoroska came out publicly – alongside an Instagram post celebrating Naya’s birthday – and confirmed they were dating. That same openness earned kudos from tennis legend Billie Jean King, who called their authenticity “always worth it.” Shout out from Billie Jean King herself?! Go on.
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Greet Minnen
Minnen came out publicly back in 2018 via a now-iconic Wimbledon moment – Alison Van Uytvanck, her then-girlfriend, kissed her in the stands after a huge upset. It wasn’t a PR stunt, just real. The pair were the first openly gay couple to play doubles together at Wimbledon in 2019.
They got engaged in December 2020, but called it quits less than a year later. Fast-forward to July 2025, and Minnen was back in the wedding whites – this time saying “I do” to Marie Diels, after a low-key engagement that barely made a ripple outside their circle.
Eva Lys
Eva Lys isn’t making any big statements about her personal life (she hasn’t actually publicly come out), but she’s been steadily making her mark on the tour – turning in breakout performances with the same composed, unhurried style she brings to every match.
Born in Kyiv in 2002, Eva Lys moved to Germany at two and grew up with tennis in her DNA – her dad, a former Ukrainian Davis Cup player, still coaches her in Hamburg, and her sister Lisa is also on the tour.
She hasn’t shied away from speaking up, calling out what she saw as “disrespectful” behaviour from some Russian players after the war began. Diagnosed with spondyloarthritis in 2020, she’s played through the grind of an autoimmune condition.
From top-ranked names to players still finding their footing, the queer – and queer-adjacent – women of the WTA are quietly shifting the shape of the game in 2024 – 2025. They’re winning matches, changing allegiances, living openly or keeping things private.
Nonchalant xx
Babs heads up Logistics and Product here at Nonchalant Magazine.
