Tennis · International
WTA graduates first Middle East coaching cohort
Five women completed a programme combining workshops, online study and tournament shadowing in Dubai.
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Five women became the first graduates of the WTA’s Middle East Coach Inclusion Program at the Dubai tournament. Their training began during the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh and used three phases designed to help women move toward elite professional tennis coaching.
The cohort combined classroom and on-court workshops with virtual study in December and January. In Dubai, participants completed daily coaching assignments and shadowed Issam Jellali as Zeynep Sonmez prepared for and played her first-round match.
Kathy Rinaldi and Jellali served as mentors. Graduates included former Omani player Fatma Al Nabhani, alongside coaches connected to Tunisia, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the wider region, with the experience intended to support player development in their home communities.
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