Recapping the WTA Americas Coach Inclusion Program's summer; 2026-27 application open now
2026-27 WTA America Coach Inclusion Program Application (Closing Oct. 9, 2026)
The WTA Americas Coach Inclusion Program was in full swing during the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz' hard-court summer season in Toronto, Cincinnati, New York and São Paulo.
The 2025-26 cohort had the opportunity to experience on-site shadowing at WTA events, attend insightful conferences and earned their certificates of completion for the program. Check out each of the highlights from the four cities below!
Note: The WTA is currently accepting applications for the 2026-27 cohort of the Americas Coach Inclusion Program. Additional information is at the bottom of this page.
Toronto
At this year's National Bank Open in Toronto, the cohort had the opportunity to shadow two well-respected coaches in the industry in Kathy Rinaldi and Mark Gellard.
Rinaldi, who coached Caty McNally during the summer hard-court season, has been a longstanding mentor and facilitator of the Coach Inclusion Program since it's inception years ago. She also guided the first-ever graduates of the Middle East program. In addition to her continuing work with the Coach Inclusion Program, Rinadi's latest endeavor is creating a tennis academy in Florida after a successful career with the USTA.
Gellard is the long-time coach of Poland's Magda Linette, a three-time title winner on the WTA Tour.
Furthermore, the cohort had the opportunity to attend a coaches conference at the National Bank Open that featured Rinaldi, two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Vania King and Craig Veal, who coaches Desirae Krawczyk, Olivia Nicholls and Tereza Mihalikova.
Cincinnati
On the grounds at the Cincinnati Open, the cohort continued their mentor shadowing with Gellard, Veal and Nicole Pratt, coach of Australia's Kimberly Birrell. Their shadowing experiences in Toronto and Cincinnati built on the lessons learned from their time in South Carolina's Lowcountry, where five members of the cohort were immersed with top teams at the Charleston Open back in April.
They also attended the USTA's Midwest Women's Coaching Summit, which brought in female tennis coaches for the cohort to network, learn advanced coaching strategies, and understand productive developmental techniques for players on and off the court.
WTA speakers included Pratt; former coach and mother to Caty McNally, Lynn Nabors-McNally; Patrick Heiber; and WTA Senior Vice President of Performance Health, Kathleen Stroia.
Coaching education was provided in collaboration with USTA Coaching, a significant partner of the WTA Americas Coach Inclusion Program.
New York
In the Big Apple, the 2025-26 cohort received an invitation to the inaugural USTA Coaches Open, a three-day conference that brought in voices across sports, leadership and hospitality for attendees to enhance their craft and extend their network.
In addition, many of the cohort were recognized on stage and received their certificates from WTA founder Billie Jean King after graduating from the WTA Coaches Inclusion Program.
São Paulo
In Brazil, the remaining coaches from this year's cohort earned their certificates at the SP Open WTA 250 event in São Paulo. The experience capped off a four-day coaches conference held in partnership with the Brazilian Tennis Confederation and tournament.
In addition, the South American coaches had the opportunity to shadow Emiliano Redondi, coach of Nadia Podoroska; Pol Toledo, coach of Paula Badosa; and Bastien Fanzincani, coach of Darja Semenistaja.
2026-27 program dates & application information
Phase 1 -- Workshop in Orlando, Florida: Nov. 30, 2026 - Dec. 3, 2026
Phase 2 -- Virtual Coursework: January 2027 - May 2027
Phase 3 -- On-site mentor shadowing in Charleston and Montreal: April 2027 & August 2027
Applications close on Oct. 9, 2026. For additional information on requirements, supporting documentation and submission instructions, click on the application link here or at the top of the page.
