© Getty Photos Sport – Chris Hyde
Russian-born Alexander Shevchenko has introduced that he’s switching his allegiance to Kazakhstan.
Shevchenko, who was born in Rostov-on-Don, had been representing Russia since turning professional in 2018. However now, 23-year-old Shevchenko has determined to amass Kazakhstani citizenship and symbolize Kazakhstan when he steps out on the courtroom subsequent time.
Over the past couple of years, a number of Russian-born gamers have switched their allegiances to different nations. Most notably, Elena Rybakina switched to Kazakhstan in 2018, whereas Alexander Bublik did it two years earlier. In one of the latest instances, Varvara Gracheva acquired French citizenship final yr and has been representing France since.
“Hello everybody, simply need to let everybody know that from subsequent week on I’ll symbolize Kazakhstan on the courtroom. I am very proud about it and might’t wait to step on the courtroom, attempting to make memorable moments for myself and the nation,” Shevchenko stated in an announcement made on his Instagram Story.
Shevchenko has been on the rise during the last couple of months
After breaking into the top-100 for the primary time in his profession in mid-2023, Shevchenko continued his rise within the second a part of the 2023 season.
In late 2023, Shevchenko made the quarterfinal at an ATP 500 occasion in Basel earlier than reaching his maiden ATP ultimate the next week in Metz. After reaching his first ultimate in Metz, Shevchenko fell simply wanting successful the title after dropping to Ugo Humbert.
After a breakthrough season in 2023, Shevchenko began the 2024 season with back-to-back round-of-16 appearances in Brisbane and Adelaide. Following these two outcomes, Shevchenko achieved a career-high rating of No. 48 on the planet.
After competing in Brisbane and Adelaide, Shevchenko did not actually do effectively on the Australian Open, dropping to Jaume Munar within the first spherical.
Whereas Shevchenko did not make any actually robust runs in Australia, he nonetheless left Australia with a brand new career-best rating. Within the the rest of 2024, there is no such thing as a doubt that Shevchenko shall be trying to proceed his rise and probably win his first ATP title this yr.
