In brief
Kazakhstan’s Tennis Federation reports a massive expansion of courts and coaches, along with new academy and national tournaments, as the country hopes to move past reliance on naturalized players. Vice‑president Dias Doskarayev outlined the progress and highlighted young prospects Amir Omarkhanov and Zangar Nurlanuly.
Almaty, Kazakhstan – In a report released on Nov. 7, the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation detailed a concerted effort to build a pipeline of homegrown tennis talent through expanded infrastructure, coaching and competitive opportunities.
According to Vice‑president Dias Doskarayev, the federation has increased its court network from roughly 55 to 412 across 19 regions and has grown its pool of qualified coaches from about 20 to 700. The federation also now oversees some 300 national tournaments and hosts more than 50 international events annually, creating a robust competitive framework for emerging players.
Doskarayev said the national tennis academy opened in Astana in 2008 and that partnerships with overseas academies have helped raise coaching standards. He added that regular tennis lessons now average $50 to $60 a month for families, a significant drop from the $150 an hour rent that defined his own early career.
"We would wake up at 5:30 because we were only allowed to play from 7 a.m. till 9 a.m. There were around 100 kids on two courts, if you can imagine. It was a rich man's sport back then," Doskarayev recalled, speaking at the sidelines of last month’s ATP Almaty Open.
While international success has been marked by Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and Alexander Bublik, both of whom were born abroad and later switched allegiance, the federation is now focusing on homegrown talent. Doskarayev highlighted two promising young prospects—Amir Omarkhanov and Zangar Nurlanuly—who he says are poised to break into the ATP Tour and represent Kazakhstan’s growing tennis stature.
