The coaching box remains one of the most visible areas in professional tennis, with cameras regularly focusing on coaches during matches and commentators analysing every reaction. Yet despite tennis being regarded as one of the world’s most gender-equal sports, women remain significantly underrepresented in coaching roles at the highest level.
Currently, only four players in the WTA top 50 have a woman serving as their primary coach. However, one of those partnerships recently delivered one of the sport’s biggest success stories when former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez guided teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva to her first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
While the number of female coaches is increasing, the profession continues to be dominated by men. In 2017, women accounted for just 6% of registered coaches on the WTA Tour. That figure has now risen to 19% in 2026, reflecting gradual progress but also highlighting the gap that remains.
One of the most famous examples of a female coach working at the elite level came when Andy Murray appointed former world number one Amelie Mauresmo as his coach in 2014. The partnership attracted widespread sexist criticism, exposing the prejudices that female coaches can still face within the sport.
Former player and current coach Sandra Zaniewska, who works with world number 13 Marta Kostyuk, believes the coaching landscape is changing but acknowledges that challenges remain.
Many women who retire from professional tennis often prioritise family life and seek careers that require less travel. The demanding nature of the tennis calendar, which involves year-round international travel, can make full-time coaching particularly difficult.
Another factor is the widespread use of male hitting partners. Many players cannot afford to travel with both a coach and a separate hitting partner, leading them to choose coaches who can perform both roles. Traditionally, those positions have been filled by men, creating another obstacle for female coaches seeking opportunities on tour.
Zaniewska argues that women are sometimes judged differently when it comes to confidence and leadership styles.
According to her, female coaches often spend more time analysing situations before offering advice, which can occasionally be misinterpreted as uncertainty, despite being a sign of thorough preparation and professionalism.
The lack of female role models in coaching also creates a cycle that can discourage women from pursuing the profession. Tennis legend Billie Jean King has long championed the idea that “if you can’t see it, you can’t be it”, highlighting the importance of visibility and representation.
At present, Andreeva, Kostyuk, Anna Kalinskaya, and Caty McNally are the only top-50 women’s singles players with female primary coaches. Several other leading players, including Jasmine Paolini and Jelena Ostapenko, have women involved in their wider coaching teams.
To address the imbalance, the Women’s Tennis Association launched its Coach Inclusion Programme in 2021. The initiative aims to provide female coaches with development opportunities, mentoring and professional connections to help them progress through the coaching ranks.
The programme has already shown encouraging results. When it began, only four accredited female coaches worked with players ranked inside the world’s top 200. At this year’s Indian Wells Open, women represented 18.2% of all accredited coaches.
Ultimately, advocates stress that the goal is not to prove female coaches are superior to male coaches. Instead, the focus is on ensuring women have equal opportunities to develop, compete for elite coaching positions and succeed at the highest levels of professional tennis.
As more success stories emerge, led by figures such as Martinez and Zaniewska, women’s presence in tennis coaching continues to grow, offering hope that future generations will see a more balanced and inclusive profession.
