Marta Kostyuk is bucking a major WTA trend – Anne Keothavong explains why
Former British No 1s Anne Keothavong and Johanna Konta have explained why there aren’t many female coaches on the WTA Tour.
In the second round of this year’s French Open, in-form Marta Kostyuk took on Katie Volynets. The Ukrainian came out on top in a 6-7 6-3 6-3 win and fast forward to the present, she is now in the quarter-finals.
What did these two share in common? They both have a woman coach in their corner. Kim Clijsters is temporarily working with Volynets at Roland Garros, while Sandra Zaniewska has been with Kostyuk since 2023.
But other than them, female coaches on the WTA Tour are few and far between, with many women players choosing males to manage them. So, why is this the case?
According to former world No 48 Keothavong, there are a multitude of reasons, including wanting to start their own families.
More WTA Tour News
Iga Swiatek gets blunt criticism after ‘total collapse’ in French Open exit
Roland Garros make rare decision regarding Aryna Sabalenka’s next match
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
She said on TNT Sports on Sunday, “We don’t see many female coaches on the road. There are many reasons for it. First of all, a lot of players talk about their expenses being high and often when they are looking for a coach they are looking at someone who can hit to a high level as well.
“A lot of the women, once you come off tour after playing at a high level, often those rackets sit somewhere in a corner and you don’t necessarily maintain your level and you can’t necessarily service both sets of needs that players often want.
“A lot of us go on to have families on our own and quite frankly, 35 weeks on the road isn’t particularly appealing.”
Indeed, former Wimbledon semi-finalist Konta pointed out that when many female players retire, they relax into life away from tennis and that may not be what a current professional needs.
She added, “When you’re at a certain level, you’re looking for more than just a mentor and someone on the side as a coach.
“You do want someone involved, hitting-wise, and players will look for someone who can challenge their level. How well Annie and I could challenge a professional’s level right now… I’m not too sure, I’d give it a crack!”
However, Konta did stress player-coach partnerships are often “overlooked” and there can be a very strong emotional connection that can be more effective than just a hitting partner.
The former world No 4 added that players and coaches tend to share a lot of private information, they develop a bond and that is a fundamental building block to success. But for the time being, it seems male coaches will dominate both the men’s and women’s game.
GO DEEPER: French Open: Iga Swiatek makes worrying long-term admission after Marta Kostyuk blow
