芬妹是为数不多一直在关心青少年球员资助的老红粉，在普丁塞娃当年转籍的时候就说大鹅网协应该多关心一下年轻选手。

There is little incentive for the Russian federation to change. That is, unless more players take Putintseva's route. She is not the first Russian to play for Kazakhstan, but she is the first top-ranked junior to do so. Putintseva holds the No. 125 spot in the WTA rankings; only one player above her is younger: 16-year-old Donna Vekic of Croatia, at No. 109.

"It's disappointing that players choose another country, but the other country is helping them more financially," says Safina, who reached No. 1 in the rankings in 2009 but left the sport in 2011 because of chronic back problems. "They all go for better facilities and better opportunity. I hope it will soon change, that we will start taking better care of young people and give them better chances."