In brief
Kazakhstan’s tennis administration, led by former player Dias Doskarayev, has invested heavily in building courts and coaching staff, growing from about 55 to 412 courts statewide. While the country has gained international reputation through players who switched allegiance, the federation now nurtures home‑grown talent such as Amir Omarkhanov and Zangar Nurlanuly. Xinhua reports that the national program is aligned with a strategic plan that aims to produce elite players from grassroots levels.
On November 7, 2026, Xinhua reported that Kazakhstan’s tennis federation has widened its network of courts and training programmes in an effort to craft a line of native champions. The piece, released after the ATP Almaty Open, quoted former player and now federation vice‑president Dias Doskarayev, who described how early in his life the scarcity of facilities made pursuing the sport a near‑impossible dream for many children.
For years the country’s presence on the tennis stage has largely depended on players who were born or trained abroad, then switched nationalities to represent Kazakhstan. Names such as Wimbledon victor Elena Rybakina and Alexander Bublik exemplify the success that has come through naturalisation, according to Xinhua’s account. The federation now seeks to eliminate that dependency by building a system that identifies and nurtures local prospects from a young age.
In a statement to Xinhua, Doskarayev recalled the poverty of Shymkent’s two outdoor courts and the high hourly rental fees that once limited playtime. He said, “We would wake up at 5:30 because we were only allowed to play from 7 a.m. till 9 a.m.,” illustrating how the sport had been viewed as a rich‑man’s pastime and how little infrastructure existed a decade and a half ago.
Building a Tennis Nation
The transformation began in 2007 when businessman Bulat Utemuratov assumed leadership of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation and launched a comprehensive development plan. Xinhua notes that the federation’s infrastructure grew from roughly 55 courts to 412 spread over 19 regions, and that the number of certified coaches rose from about 20 to 700. The federation administers roughly 300 domestic tournaments and hosts more than 50 international events each year, according to the outlet.
In 2008 a national tennis academy was opened in Astana to concentrate promising young talents, while partnerships with overseas academies helped raise coaching standards. The cost of regular lessons has declined sharply; families now pay an average of fifty to sixty dollars per month, a figure the Xinhua story claims makes tennis considerably more democratic than it was for the previous generation.
“The parents don’t see tennis as a rich man’s spor…,” Doskarayev said, signalling a cultural shift as the sport becomes more accessible across socioeconomic lines.— Dias Doskarayev, Kazakhstan Tennis Federation vice‑president and acting CEO
As the federation’s infrastructure expands, so does its focus on under‑age players. Xinhua highlights Amir Omarkhanov and Zangar Nurlanuly as two promising talents who are now stepping onto the ATP Tour circuit, suggesting that the system’s next phase may be taking shape. The federation’s broader goal is to produce elite athletes through its own domestic program rather than relying on naturalised talent, a shift that could reshape Kazakhstan’s future representation in global tennis competitions.
