Andy Murray expressed his surprise at the limited presence of female coaches in both ATP and WTA. He found success under the guidance of two-time Grand Slam winner Amelie Mauresmo between 2014 and 2016, achieving milestones like winning his first clay-court title and reaching Grand Slam success. However, the response to having a female coach wasn’t overwhelmingly positive at that time.
Murray believes tennis needs to encourage more women to take up coaching roles at lower levels first, with hopes of increasing female representation on both tours. He said, “It wasn’t exactly received unbelievably well at the time, but It’s probably slightly more deeper-rooted than just the top of the game. I think it’s probably the case throughout the sport. It probably starts from the bottom up.”
Currently, only 8% of active coaches on the WTA list are women, prompting the need for more options and greater gender diversity in coaching roles. At Wimbledon, only 5% of women’s players had female coaches, while all men’s coaches were male. Billie Jean King, the founding member of the WTA, echoed similar sentiments. The lack of female coaches is deemed “terrible” and “extremely disappointing” by King, reflecting embedded bias.
Despite progress in pay equity, gender imbalances remain in coaching. To address this, the WTA has introduced the Coach Inclusion Program, pairing aspiring female coaches with established ones. The initiative aims to create more opportunities for women to break into coaching and foster a balance between male and female coaches on the tour.
Why is there a lack of female coaches in tennis?
The dearth of female coaches remains a deep-rooted issue despite successful instances of women coaching players to Grand Slam titles. Anabel Garrigues guided Jelena Ostapenko to victory at the French Open and Conchita Martinez helped Garbiñe Muguruza win Wimbledon in 2017. Unfortunately, these triumphs didn’t lead to a significant surge in female coaches within the sport, leaving many to wonder.
One key explanation for the underrepresentation of female coaches lies in the most common pathway to coaching, which often stems from former players. Women who leave the tour in their late 20s or early 30s find it challenging to balance family life with the demanding travel schedule required of coaches.
Flavia Pennetta, who retired after winning the 2015 U.S. Open, expressed this dilemma, stating, “They have a family. They become mothers. It’s easier for men to have a family when they’re an ex-player. Maybe, down the road, I could coach. But I couldn’t completely dedicate myself to a player.”
Another reason is that the bottom-up approach is still not prevalent. Coaches and players point to the need for more women to be hired at the lower levels by clubs, academies, and federations to pave the way for women coaches. Chris Tontz, who coaches Claire Liu, emphasized that “it takes someone taking a chance on women coaches” to change the landscape, given that experience really counts and no one takes any risks.
A stereotype mindset
The perception that women can be “too emotional” and “less effective as hitting partners for female players” may also limit opportunities for female coaches, although women players don’t compete with men on the tour. A former player and multiple Slam holder, Pam Shriver believes that, had she been a male with all her background and success, she would have been offered multiple coaching roles by now.
The lower representation of women in coaching also transcends broader societal challenges and mirrors the leadership roles given to women in all spheres. US Open champion Sloane Stephens voices her desire to see more women involved in various aspects, such as coaching, running tournaments, and working as agents and journalists.
In conclusion, the limited number of female coaches in tennis can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the challenges women face in balancing family life with coaching demands, widespread stereotypes, and the need for more opportunities in a ubiquitous manner. Overcoming these will lead to a more inclusive and gender-diverse sports community, both within tennis and beyond.