New national report explores reasons why female coaches are quitting tennis – Tennis Now
By Richard Pagliaro Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Photo credit: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA
The reason why female coaches leave tennis is due to reduced opportunities for men to advance in the coaching field rather than expanding family obligations.
a new country report USTA coach and Tucker Center for Girls and Women’s Sports Research It concluded that workplace challenges — concerns about fair pay, a fair environment and opportunities for advancement — drove more female coaches to give up tennis, rather than personal choice.
You can read the full report Women’s coaching: collaboration across sports, exist USTACoaching.com.
Here are some of the report’s key findings:
● Insufficient compensation, not care, is the top reason female college coaches turn down job opportunities, directly challenging the long-standing narrative that family is the primary factor in attrition.
● Women who perceive unequal pay, limited benefits and limited advancement opportunities report significantly lower job satisfaction and are more likely to leave within 12 months – a costly outcome for organizations seeking continuity and competitive stability.
● Persistent “blame it on women” narratives – such as “women don’t apply” or “women lack confidence” – continue to obscure systemic barriers at the social, organizational and interpersonal levels, allowing institutions to avoid responsibility for structural change.
● Basic professional infrastructure, including access to facilities, changing rooms, breastfeeding spaces and well-designed uniforms, directly impacts performance, authority and retention, reinforcing whether women are seen as essential leaders or an afterthought.
USTA Coaching said in a statement that the report’s findings “came in part from discussions at the Inter-Sport Working Summit held during the 2025 U.S. Open.”
On August 26, 2025, the USTA convened several professional women’s coaches from different sports at the US Open. The panel discussed some of the most significant challenges female coaches face continuing to coach.
Megan Ross, USTA Coaching General Manager says retaining female coaches is vital to the growth of the sport.
“Coaching is more complex and demanding than ever,” said Megan Rose, managing director and head of business development and operations at USTA Coaching. “If sporting organizations want stability and innovation, they must address how to structure and support coaching roles, not just how many women make the shortlist.
“Recruiting without retention is not progress.”
According to the mission statement in the press release, USTA Coaching aims to solve this problem:
USTA Coaching is already advancing many of these principles. USTA Coaching is launched as a national platform for modernizing coaching education and professionalizing coaching pathways, offering a flexible certification model, tiered development opportunities and structured support designed to enhance access and retention.
Earlier this year, USTA Coaching launched its inaugural Women’s Coaching Corps, providing a 10-month national leadership experience for 25 diverse female coaches in the tennis ecosystem. The program focuses on leadership development, financial literacy and career longevity – areas identified in the report as critical to sustaining women’s careers.
“The days of providing performative support are over,” Ross added. “Sustaining female coaching positions requires structural changes, from pay equity and facilities to work culture and promotion. The future of sport depends on who we retain, not just who we recruit.”
