Polina Kudermetova reportedly hires former world No. 1 Dinara Safina as a coach

After a short-lived stint with Diana Shnaider, former world No. 1 Dinara Safina is getting back into the coaching game next season. World No. 104 Polina Kudermetova, the younger sister of former Top 10 singles player and reigning WTA Finals doubles champion Veronika, has reportedly hired the three-time Grand Slam finalist to her coaching team.

Safina previously entered into the WTA coaching ranks this past spring for a brief period with Shnaider, who was on the fringes of the Top 10 at the time. The 21-year-old Shnaider hired Safina in April, but they split by May—with Shnaider only saying in Rome that Safina "needed" to return home to Barcelona.

But in 2026, she'll be packing her bags to travel with the 22-year-old Kudermetova, who already made headlines this offseason as the latest of nearly a half-dozen Russian players to change nationalities. She will be representing Uzbekistan next season.

Read more: Anastasia Potapova changes sporting nationality to Austria ahead of 2026 tennis season

Kudermetova's longtime coach, former Uzbek pro Ravshan Sultanov, said that Safina's "approach and vision of tennis are very close to [theirs]," and praised how she's already meshing personally with Kudermetova and her team.

Sultanov's comments were reported on Christmas Day by First&Red, a Russian-language sports website, and a holiday photo of the trio, as well as International Tennis Hall of Famer Marat Safin, made the rounds on social media to confirm at least some form of collaboration.

The younger Kudermetova ended the season outside the Top 100 after peaking at No. 54 in April. But the early weeks of 2026 will be pivotal for the 22-year-old and the new partnership, as she is defending a runner-up finish at the Brisbane International.