Frederic Fontang and other leading coaches explain why the World Tennis Conference is important: ‘Continuing education is important’ | ATP Tour
In the coaches’ corner
Fontang & co. explain why the World Tennis Conference is important: ‘Inspiration, knowledge and guidance’
Top ATP coaches will participate in the sixth edition of the unique development program
March 17, 2026
Daniel Pockett / Getty Images
Felix Auger-Aliassime, the number 8 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, is coached by Frederic Fontang.
By ATP staff
Leading ATP Tour coaches Frederic Fontang, Alberto Castellani, Louis Cayer, Liam Smith, and Claudio Pistolesi highlighted the growing importance of the World Tennis Summit as one of the most important educational platforms for the sport.
As the event returns for its sixth year, many of the sport’s most respected coaches have emphasized how the conference helps shape the future of tennis by connecting top-level coaches, former players and sports science experts around the world.
WTC6, which runs from 26-29 March as a virtual four-day event, connects top coaches, former players, sports scientists and educators, providing global access to perspectives rarely found in one place.
“Having continuous and permanent education is the key to processing dynamic information and maintaining brain plasticity for everyone,” said Fontang, the No. 1 trainer. 8 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Felix Auger-Aliassime. “Every coach should be an example of this, be a good generalist and surround yourself with more expertise and knowledge. In that sense, participating and learning from any coach at WTC6 is a very powerful experience, which will give all coaches a lot of inspiration, knowledge, and guidance.”
The conference has steadily grown in scale and prestige, bringing together the most influential voices in professional tennis. For Castellani, President of the Global Professional Tennis Coach Association (GPTCA), that growth reflects the sport’s commitment to professional development and collaboration.
“As President of the GPTCA I am very proud to see how the WTC, every year, increases the quality of each tactical, intellectual, physical and cultural presentation made by more than 64 speakers this year,” said the Italian. “Most of the former Top 15 players and top coaches of top players are presenting. It’s an honor and an opportunity to watch them contribute.”
Subscribe to the official website of the World Tennis Conference: “Dream bigger. Train better.”
That exchange of ideas is one of the key features of the event. Leading coaches from across the ATP Tour share their experience of working at the highest levels of the sport, as well as experts in fields such as game science, statistics and player development.
For well-known professional doubles coach Louis Cayer, who has coached many British players including the Doubles World No. 1 for Neal Skupski, the value lies in keeping coaches open to new ideas.
“Continuing education keeps our minds open to new ideas and helps us improve our way of training players,” said Cayer. “Every year, WTC plays an important role in bringing coaches and experts together each year to share knowledge and methods that help us grow in all aspects of player development which in my opinion is an important factor in developing better coaches. This makes a big difference for coaches.”
The sixth edition will also feature an impressive line-up of additional speakers who have just been confirmed for the programme. The former Doubles World No. 1 Max Mirnyi joins the list alongside some of the most respected names in coaching, including Toni Nadal, Samuel Lopez, Anton Dubrov and Gilles Cervara.
The accessibility of the event has also played a major role in its growing reach around the world. Delivered entirely online, the conference allows coaches from around the world to learn directly from some of the sport’s most respected figures without the need to travel. According to Smith, who coaches Jenson Brooksby, that accessibility could shape the future of tennis coaching.
“The WTC creates a unique opportunity for coaches to learn from world-renowned players, coaches and instructors, and is key to the future of the game,” said Smith. “The WTC brings together former ATP and WTA players, coaches, and sports science experts. It’s a rare event for coaches.”
Former ATP Tour coach Pistolesi, who has worked with players including Robin Soderling and Simone Bolelli, believes that openness and cooperation is what defines great coaches.
“Being a coach means sharing ideas, continuing to learn and being open-minded about new ideas, because every high-level coach knows that sharing helps to grow,” said Pistolesi. “The WTC shows the tennis industry why and how many top coaches are in that position.”
That philosophy of development and communication lies at the core of the event’s vision. Founded by performance expert Fernando Segal, this conference aims to create solid training systems that will ultimately benefit players and the wider sport.
“At the World Tennis Summit, we are bringing together many leaders who understand that development is a program that builds people first and plays second,” said Segal. “Communication with top coaches, leaders, and scientific knowledge creates powerful ecosystems where: Better systems produce better coaches. Better coaches develop better players. Better players raise the culture and awareness of tennis and people.
“The development of players is a big responsibility, and the responsibility starts with better education. WTC is the pure love of tennis.”
As the sixth edition approaches, the message from the sport’s leading coaches is clear: in an increasingly complex high-performance environment, the pursuit of knowledge remains one of tennis’ greatest competitive advantages.
