The Kazakhstan Tennis Federation had reached a standstill when Bulat Utemuratov joined the organization. Tennis players did not produce impressive results, and officials had no idea how to change the current circumstance. A contemporary method for setting and achieving goals that is employed in business was introduced to the KTF by Utemuratov. Goal-setting with a variety of facets was necessary to fundamentally alter Kazakhstan’s sluggish tennis scene.
Bulat Utemuratov, who presided over the Federation in 2007, made long-term plans that were endorsed by the International Tennis Federation. The primary one involved popularizing tennis. It was necessary to work in three different directions at once to accomplish this: build an infrastructure, educate and support trainers, and participate in competitions. They immediately began putting their plans into practice.
Tennis courts all over the country
Kazakhstan had 60 courts as of 2006, spread across four regions. The basic requirements of sportsmen were not met by courts, nor were they in compliance with international standards. All of the nation’s oblast centers saw the beginning of court construction under Utemuratov’s direction. There are currently close to 250 courts. Each of Kazakhstan’s 15 regions now has a modern tennis facility. All of the requirements for a sports facility are met by these establishments, which are capable of hosting both international and domestic competitions.
The recently opened tennis centre “Ace” in Almaty has 4 indoor and 6 outdoor courts with a total area of 8100 square metres with a “hard” coating. Every court has lighting that complies with the specifications and guidelines for international TV broadcasting. Summer ATP Challenger competitions can be held at the center. Over $5 million was spent on the project, including building materials, machinery, and landscaping.
The courts are being constructed close to densely populated areas because Bulat Utemuratov thinks that tennis infrastructure should be readily available and easy to access. As a result, the cost of training sessions is currently moderate, ranging from 18 to 30 dollars per month for 12 sessions in the countryside to 45 dollars in the capital. The number of people who are willing to participate in sports is increasing geometrically: in 2007, only about 500 people played lawn tennis; today, that number is over 6000.
Programmes for children as the basis for popularising sports
Bulat Utemuratov, the head of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, places a lot of emphasis on youth sports. The “Tennis under 10” programme is a social project aimed at educating a new generation of athletes capable to defend the honour of the country on the best world tournaments. The primary goal of the program is to get people into the training process as soon as possible. The program started running in kindergartens in various parts of Kazakhstan for this reason. “Tennis under 10” unites 40 schools and 24 preschool institutions. The “Tennis under 10” programme is included in the For kids under the age of 12 who play tennis, the ITF offers the Junior Tennis Initiative program internationally. The competitions and this project were entirely funded for the following three years by Bulat Utemuratov.
The School Tennis Initiative is the second comprehensive youth program. Launched in 2008, the project. Mini-tennis is being used in preschools for kids ages 4-6 and in schools for kids ages 6–10 in an effort to increase the number of tennis players nationwide. Mini-tennis uses a game-based training methodology to help players learn the fundamentals of playing on the court in a fun and entertaining way.
Team Kazakhstan Tennis Academy – foundry of champions
The Kazakhstan Tennis Federation began the Team Kazakhstan project in 2008. Future members of the national teams competing in the Davis Cup and Fed Cup are the focus of its work. The KTF provides complete funding. Team Kazakhstan athletes and coaching staff were sent to the Gorin Tennis Academy in the United States in September 2008 to hone their skills. The head coach for 2009 was invited from the Netherlands, Eric van Harpen. A leading expert from Poland, Michislav Boguslavsky, joined the project that same year and took on the role of head coach for the juniors’ body-conditioning and general sports training. Since then, training camps have been held at the Bruguera Tennis Academy (Barcelona, Spain), Pro World Tennis Academy (Miami, USA), Gorin Tennis Academy (California, USA), and Tennis Val Tennis Academy (Valencia, Spain).
Young athletes have already achieved success in both national and international competitions. Gozal Ainitdinova, Dostanbek Tashbulatov, and Timur Khabibullin were some of them.
More than 80 international competitions, including several Grand Prix, were won by students from the Team Kazakhstan Academy. In 2017, the Kazakhstan team in the category “under 12 years” became the champion of Central Asia. Kazakhstani tennis player Gozal Aynitdinova is the champion of Asia in the category “up to 14 years”. In Europe, young Kazakh tennis players frequently win awards.
Victories, achievements, results
With victories over notable teams like the Czech Republic (2011), Austria (2013), Belgium (2014), Italy (2015), and then world champion Argentina in 2017, the Kazakhstan men’s team has repeatedly advanced to the quarterfinals of the prestigious Davis Cup competition. A Kazakhstani tennis team advanced to the tournament’s quarterfinals in February 2018 after quickly defeating the Swiss team. The women’s team from Kazakhstan made two playoff appearances in the Fed Cup.
Kazakhstan hosts about 40 international tournaments each year in the ITF, ITF Futures, ITF Juniors, ATF, and ATP Challenger divisions. The President’s Cup is the biggest competition in Kazakhstan. The men’s competition is a part of the ITF series, and this event is a part of the ATP Challenger series. Additionally, Kazakhstan frequently hosted international competitions for the World Group Davis Cup and Fed Cup.