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After a brief stint coaching Diana Schnaider in spring 2025, former world No. 1 Dinara Safina is returning to the WTA Tour, this time to guide world No. 104 Polina Kudermetova, who has recently switched her sporting nationality from Russia to Uzbekistan.
Safina’s first coaching venture, announced in April 2025 with Schnaider, was expected to be a long-term success but ended abruptly after just one month. The reasons behind the shocking split were never made public.
The 39-year-old Russian is ready to give coaching another shot, joining forces with Kudermetova and her current coach, Ravshan Sultanov.
“We have strengthened the team with Dinara – she will be working with Polina. Her approach and vision of tennis are very close to ours. Dinara is a very easygoing, open, and extremely pleasant person to communicate with. As a coach, I feel very comfortable working in the same team with Dinara. She has tremendous experience as a player who reached the very top of the rankings. At the moment we have only just begun the preparation process for the 2026 season,” Sultanov said.
The 22-year-old Kudermetova has reached one WTA final, finishing runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 Brisbane International. She climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 54 in April and is now looking to take the next step under Safina’s guidance.
For fans of women’s tennis in the late 2000s, Safina needs no introduction. The younger sister of ATP star Marat Safin rose to the world No. 1 ranking in April 2009. Over her career, she claimed 12 WTA titles, reached three Grand Slam singles finals, and added a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a US Open doubles title in 2007 to her résumé. While a Grand Slam singles crown eluded her, her legacy as one of the WTA’s most formidable players remains unquestioned. (source: Tennis World USA, photo: Jimmie48)
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