Dinara Safina was secretive when asked about her new collaboration with world No. 104 Polina Kudermetova, but didn't deny the news that surfaced on Thursday.
A few days ago, Kudermetova's coach Ravshan Sultanov revealed that the 22-year-old also added Safina to their team for the 2026 season.
Safina, who played her last match in 2011 when she was just 25 years old, returned to the WTA Tour in April when she agreed to coach Diana Shnaider. For some reason, their partnership didn't go well at all and they stunningly split after just four weeks.
"Dear friends, first of all, I want to congratulate you on the upcoming New Year holidays and wish you happiness, health, and magic. Many people have asked me to comment on today's news. My plans included returning to Monaco on December 28th to spend New Year's and the following January holidays with my family, but Polina's coach probably knows more about my plans and those of my family," the three-time Grand Slam finalist said, via Russian publication Championat.
What Kudermetova's coach said about Safina?
When sharing the news, Sultanov described Safina as someone who was a perfect fit for the team, and someone who was very pleasant to be around.
"We have strengthened the team with Dinara - she will be working with Polina. Her approach and vision of tennis are very close to ours. Dinara is a very easygoing, open, and extremely pleasant person to communicate with," Sultanov said.
In the same interview, Sultanov said that he felt "comfortable" coaching alongside Safina, and noted that they just started working together.
Kudermetova, who will turn 23 in June, recently switched her allegiance from Russia to Uzbekistan. So far in her career, the 22-year-old has won nine titles on the lower-tier and has a Brisbane runner-up finish on her resume.
Kudermetova will certainly hope that former world No. 1 Safina can help her elevate her game to another level.
