Women Coaches Build Confidence and Connection at French Open Immersion Experience
At Roland Garros, during the opening week of the French Open, a group of women coaches from the USTA Coaching Women in Coaching Cohort and the WTA Coach Inclusion Program stepped inside one of the most iconic environments for an immersion experience with the French Tennis Federation.
The trip brought together coaches working across junior development, college tennis, academy training and high-performance pathways. For Nathalie Dechy, who leads international relations for the French Tennis Federation (FFT), the partnership offered a chance for major tennis organizations to look beyond their own systems and learn from one another.
“The goal was to share knowledge,” Dechy says. “If we can get some experience from your side and you can get some experience from our side, then this is good.”
Inside a Grand Slam Learning Environment
The experience combined master classes, conversations with high-performance leaders, practice observations, matches and direct engagement with FFT staff. Coaches heard from leaders including Ivan Ljubicic, Wim Fissette and Darren Cahill, while also spending time with FFT specialists in player development, technology and performance coaching.
Dechy said the timing made the week especially valuable. “Having both our federations with a Grand Slam on site is something special,” she says. “You see the qualifying rounds at such a high level, you see the best players practicing and you see everyone get ready for the tournament.”
That access resonated with Stephanie Kusano Wallace, Assistant Coach of Women’s Tennis at the University of California, Berkeley and a participant in the WTA Coach Inclusion Program.
“It was an incredible week,” Kusano Wallace says. “full of core memories because of the special bond shared by the WTA cohort. A special thanks to the FFT for hosting such a thoughtful and curated experience.”
Seeing Growth Mindset at the Highest Level
For the coaches, one of the strongest takeaways was that even the best players and coaches continue to refine, question and improve.
Stephanie Huang, founder of Ultra Performance Academy in Santa Clara, California, said the message reinforced her own approach to player development.
“The pro coaches only focus on player development from different aspects – mentally, physically, tactically and technically,” Huang says. “Even if someone is No. 1, there are still small changes to make. You always have to be open-minded and try to get better.”
Kusano Wallace said she saw the same quality in the coaches she observed: “All the best coaches are always willing to learn, grow and collaborate. They’re very humble and pushing to expand their knowledge. It is this shared growth mindset that ensures a bright future for tennis. Nothing is more encouraging than that.”
“All the best coaches are always willing to learn, grow and collaborate. They’re very humble and willing to expand their knowledge. It is this shared growth mindset that ensures a bright future for tennis. Nothing is more encouraging than that.”
Stephanie Kusano Wallace
Building Networks That Help Women Stay in Coaching
Beyond the technical learning, the week created something equally important: a network of women coaches who could see one another, support one another and imagine longer futures in the profession.
For Isis Gill-Reid, founder and CEO of SG Next Level Tennis in Brooklyn and a member of the USTA Coaching Women in Coaching Cohort, the networking was one of the most meaningful parts of the experience.
“It was nice to speak to other young female coaches from the U.S. and France about their coaching journey,” Gill-Reid says. “Tennis is a very relationship-driven business. Every person you touch is a relationship, and people remember you for your work and how you treated them.”
She also valued the broader conversations about coaching careers, including branding, business development and the different paths coaches can take. “Taking the opportunities that come to you can transform your career and elevate you to the next level,” Gill-Reid says.
Recognition, Representation and the Road Ahead
The coaches also attended the graduation ceremony for the French WTA Coach Inclusion Program cohort, where coaches were recognized in front of hundreds of their peers.
For Huang, that moment was powerful. “Seeing the female coaches out there gave me a lot of confidence,” she says. “Women can help each other, and we still have the possibility to be great coaches.”
Dechy said that confidence is exactly the point of investing in women coaches, especially in spaces where they remain underrepresented. “We want to give them a great network, confidence and extra support to improve in the system,” Dechy says. “We hope to help remove any obstacles on the pathway for women coaches.”
Kusano Wallace said that sense of support can help women continue building careers in coaching. “People feel seen, understood and supported,” she says. “There are other coaches, just like you, working toward similar goals – that synergy is what will create something memorable.”
For these coaches, Paris was more than a professional development trip. It was a reminder that coaching growth happens through curiosity, collaboration and community, and that women coaches need all three to remain in the game and keep rising.
