After a short-lived stint with Diana Shnaider, former world No. 1 Dinara Safina is getting back into the coaching game next season. The 21-year-old Shnaider hired Safina in April, but they split by May—with Shnaider only saying in Rome that Safina "needed" to return home to Barcelona.But in 2026, she'll be packing her bags to travel with the 22-year-old Kudermetova, who already made headlines this offseason as the latest of nearly a half-dozen Russian players to change nationalities. She will be representing Uzbekistan next season.Read more: Anastasia Potapova changes sporting nationality to Austria ahead of 2026 tennis season She will be representing Uzbekistan next season.Read more: Anastasia Potapova changes sporting nationality to Austria ahead of 2026 tennis season But in 2026, she'll be packing her bags to travel with the 22-year-old Kudermetova, who already made headlines this offseason as the latest of nearly a half-dozen Russian players to change nationalities. She will be representing Uzbekistan next season.Read more: Anastasia Potapova changes sporting nationality to Austria ahead of 2026 tennis season Read more: Anastasia Potapova changes sporting nationality to Austria ahead of 2026 tennis season Kudermetova's longtime coach, former Uzbek pro Ravshan Sultanov, said that Safina's "approach and vision of tennis are very close to [theirs]," and praised how she's already meshing personally with Kudermetova and her team.Sultanov's comments were reported on Christmas Day by First&Red, a Russian-language sports website, and a holiday photo of the trio, as well as International Tennis Hall of Famer Marat Safin, made the rounds on social media to confirm at least some form of collaboration.The younger Kudermetova ended the season outside the Top 100 after peaking at No. Sultanov's comments were reported on Christmas Day by First&Red, a Russian-language sports website, and a holiday photo of the trio, as well as International Tennis Hall of Famer Marat Safin, made the rounds on social media to confirm at least some form of collaboration.The younger Kudermetova ended the season outside the Top 100 after peaking at No.