Tennis star Daria Kasatkina recently shared the story behind her engagement to longtime partner Natalia Zabiiako, revealing a simple yet heartfelt proposal.
Though the couple announced their engagement just over a week ago, Kasatkina said the proposal did not take place during the French Open final, where Coco Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka. Instead, the moment happened nearly a month earlier during the Internazionali BNL d’Italia tournament in Rome.
Kasatkina, Zabiiako, and their close friends were celebrating Kasatkina’s 28th birthday when the proposal occurred. But the key figure in the story was Kasatkina’s close friend and fellow Australian player Daria Saville. Feeling that the moment was right, Kasatkina picked up a simple metal ring—a birthday gift from Saville—and asked Zabiiako to marry her.
Kasatkina recalled, “I just went on my knee. There were bags everywhere with presents, and everyone thought it was a joke. Natasha was like, ‘Are you joking? Are you serious?’ And I said, ‘Completely serious… are you going to marry me?’”
The emotional moment was followed by tears and congratulations. After the informal proposal, the couple went shopping together for a more traditional diamond solitaire ring. Saville later jokingly asked where the “original ring” was in a comment on their joint Instagram announcement.
Looking ahead, Kasatkina shared their wedding plans. “Next to the sea with our closest people. It won’t be a big wedding; it will be quite small. But we’ll have a great time with friends and family. I’m really looking forward to it because it’s going to be a very nice party.”
