A New Flag, A Strong Start
Competing under the French flag for the very first time, 28-year-old Blinkova wasted no time making an impact. She reached the semi-finals of the WTA tournament in Sao Paulo, defeating Alina Charaeva, a Russian-born player now representing Armenia, in a close match that ended 6-4, 7-5.

Announcing the change on Instagram, Blinkova explained that after spending so many years living and training in France, splitting her time between her home in Cannes and various tournaments, the country had come to feel like more than just a place to work. She said it had genuinely become her home, and that she felt honored to now represent France internationally. Along with her announcement, she posted several photos, including one alongside Alizé Cornet, who captains France's Billie Jean King Cup team.

From Moscow Roots to a French Career
Blinkova was born in Moscow but has spent years training in Cannes under coach Gerard Solves. Over the course of her career, she's won two WTA titles, previously competed for Russia in the Billie Jean King Cup, and picked up tournament wins in Cluj, Romania, in 2022, and Jiujiang, China, back in November 2025. Her highest career ranking so far has been 34th in the world.

Now that she's switched federations, Blinkova ranks as France's second-best woman player, trailing only Diane Parry, who sits at 30th.

Her move is part of a much bigger pattern. Blinkova becomes the 17th Russian tennis player to change nationalities since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Others who've made similar switches include Daria Kasatkina, now playing for Australia, Varvara Gracheva, who represents France, and Anastasia Potapova, who now competes for Austria. Just recently, 18-year-old Alisa Oktabreva, who has called the Czech Republic home for the past two years, secured Czech citizenship in June 2026.

It's worth noting that tennis has never completely banned Russian or Belarusian athletes from competing. Under current WTA and ATP rules, they're allowed to play, but only as neutral athletes, meaning no national flags and no anthems. The one exception was Wimbledon, which banned Russian and Belarusian players entirely in 2022, though that decision was reversed the following year, allowing them back in under those same neutral conditions.