ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The WTA and the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) have recently agreed to renew their preexisting partnership, continuing to designate PTR as an Official Partner of the Coach Program.

Established in January 2017, the Coach Program has been designed to professionalize, standardize, and recognize the important role of coaching on the WTA Tour.

Since the partnership began in 2019, both organizations have collaborated to facilitate formal coaching pathways for tour-level players and their coaches. Both entities have found countless success on a number of high-impact community outreach and educational projects, including certification through the WTA Coach Program.

Participants received free coach certification and waived annual PTR membership dues for all WTA players, alumnae and registered coaches. Additionally, the first-ever online WTA Performance certification course was developed and launched, making certification more accessible than ever for traveling players and coaches:

  • Currently over 60 WTA players, alumnae and coaches are enrolled, 48 of which are female – including Grand Slam Champions and WTA Legends (Bartoli, Fernandez, Martinez, Safarova, Stephens)
  • The first two program graduates were new mothers and recently active players: Tatjana Maria and Alla Kudryetseva

From a tournament perspective, WTA/PTR Coaches Conferences were launched in Toronto and Shenzhen, with future plans slated for Rome but delayed due to COVID-19. A curriculum was also developed for the WTA Coach Performance certification course which has been taught at four events annually at WTA tournaments (Indian Wells, Miami, Wimbledon, Toronto).

In an effort to continue to grow the sport during the lockdown, monthly WTA coach educational webinars were conducted for coaches during the tour suspension. A WTA Coach Education library was also created with 40+ hours of educational video content.

In the years to come, the partnership will set it sights on the grassroots level, as they look to continue to provide local in-market PTR member coaching resources to carry out other WTA Programs on the ground such as: Future Stars, WTA Come Play, & WTA Charities.

Beginning the week of Monday, February 8, PTR will be conducting their International Tennis Symposium and PPR Pickleball Conference. The virtual Symposium, with more than 70 presentations, will feature 15+ hours of live and pre-recorded presentations with topics ranging from tennis business and sport science to on-court drill and teaching tactics/techniques.