Daria Kasatkina is primed to return from a mental health break and make her first Australian Open as a local winner, according to veterans Storm Hunter and Daria Saville.

Russian-born Kasatkina switched allegiances to Australia in March, less than two months after reaching the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the first time.

After declaring for Australia, the former world number eight reached the fourth round at Roland Garros and the third round of Wimbledon and the US Open.

But in October, Kasatkina pulled the pin on her season, blaming the "emotional and mental stress" related to the change, the strain of not seeing her family and the relentless schedule of the tennis circuit.

Daria Kasatkina (right) made the fourth round the last time she played at Melbourne Park earlier his year, losing o Emma Navarro. (AAP: Lukas Coch)

"I've been far from fine for a long time and, truth be told, my results and performances show that," the 28-year-old wrote on social media.

"Truth is, I've hit a wall and can't continue. I need a break."

Kasatkina vowed to return "energised and ready to rock" in 2026 and will kick off her season at the Brisbane International, which starts on January 4.

A French Open semi-finalist in 2022, Kasatkina finished the previous four calendar years ranked in the top 10 but is currently 37th.

She is unlikely to be seeded in January and has slipped behind world number 32 Maya Joint in terms of the Australian pecking order.

But Kasatkina will be among the event's main drawcards, likely featuring on Rod Laver Arena, given her credentials.

Hunter, who has known Kasatkina for years, backed her to perform — and the local crowd to "embrace" her.

"It'll definitely be a new thing for her," Hunter told AAP.

"I don't think she needs any tips from us. She's played in a lot of high-pressure moments herself.

"But I think the biggest thing is just showing her that she has our support.

"We have a group chat with Australian female tennis players. She's part of that. She's very active in it as well, talking. She knows that she has the support of the players."

Hunter predicted Kasatkina, who is still ineligible to play Billie Jean King Cup for her new country, would "go out and do her thing" at Melbourne Park.

"The crowds will love her because she is such a very nice person, very open, honest, she wears her heart on her sleeve," she said.

"She's got her YouTube channel, so everyone can get along, and they know her story and what's happened. That's really cool.

"She will definitely feel nervous, but she's going to be just fine."

Kasatkina and fellow Russian-born player Saville have been close friends for years. They have been in regular contact during the former's break.

"We always check in on each other and reach out to each other. Sometimes it's not that deep and not that serious," Saville told AAP.

"She's going well. She's training now. She's looking forward to the next season."

Saville, who is pregnant and skipping the Australian Open, expected Kasatkina to thrive.

"I think she's going to really enjoy it," she said.

"When she played in New York, she felt very welcomed. We're a group of girls, we're really nice.

"We're like, 'you're part of us, hello'. She's really excited to come to Australia and enjoy the home advantage."

AAP

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