Thirty-five-year-old Master of Sports Eziz Dovletov has been re-elected Chairman of the Turkmenistan Tennis Federation (TTF) for a new four-year term. All 35 delegates from the country’s velayats and the capital unanimously voted for his candidacy during the reporting and election conference held in Ashgabat.
Since 2018, E. Dovletov has served as Secretary General of the Turkmenistan Tennis Federation, and from 2021 until mid-2022 he was Vice Chairman of the TTF. Earlier, as an athlete, he became the winner of the zonal Davis Cup tournament (Asia/Oceania Zone Group IV) in 2013 as part of the Turkmenistan national team.
In 2012, Eziz Dovletov graduated from the Turkmen Polytechnic Institute. In 2015, he earned an MBA degree from Moscow State University, and in 2021 he graduated from the Russian International Olympic University under the “Master of Sports Administration” program.
Since 2020, Dovletov has been a member of the international working group under the President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) responsible for organizing the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup worldwide.
On June 29, 2022, at a conference in Ashgabat, Eziz Dovletov was elected Chairman of the Turkmenistan Tennis Federation for the first time. In December 2023, he was appointed Vice President of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) and joined the Board of Directors of this continental organization. This landmark event in the history of Turkmen sports took place during the ATF Congress held in Bangkok, Thailand, where elections for the president, board members, and vice presidents of the organization were conducted.
Thus, for the first time, a representative of Turkmenistan joined the leadership of the Asian Tennis Federation, which unites national associations from 54 countries. This event became another success of the country’s sports diplomacy, made possible thanks to the progressive sports policy of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, Hero-Arkadag, particularly in the development of tennis and the training of a new generation of sports administrators.
As reported during the conference, the Asian Tennis Federation highly praised the work of the Turkmenistan Tennis Federation in organizing the Central Asian Team Championship for children under 12 in Ashgabat. The regional tournament, held in June 2023 at the Olympic Village of the Turkmen capital with the participation of teams from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, was organized in Ashgabat for the second time. ATF officials described it as a benchmark and model for organizing tennis competitions.
It is also noteworthy that at the 2024 General Assembly of the Asian Tennis Federation, the Turkmenistan Tennis Federation was recognized as one of the fastest-developing organizations in Asia. One example of this progress was the strong performance of Turkmenistan’s boys’ team at the 2023 Central Asian U12 Championship. For the first time, the team defeated Uzbekistan and advanced to the final stage held in Astana. In 2025, the girls’ team achieved similar success at the Central Asian Championship in Fergana, earning the right to compete for the first time in the Asian U12 Team Championship in Singapore.
The conference also noted that a historic event in Turkmenistan’s sporting life was the first two-day visit to the country by International Tennis Federation President David Haggerty and Asian Tennis Federation President Yuriy Polskiy. On March 27, 2024, the guests were received by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. During the meeting, the ITF and ATF expressed interest in developing fruitful cooperation with Turkmenistan, where special attention is given to promoting and supporting sports and encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle. Emphasizing the country’s achievements in this area, Mr. David Haggerty presented the head of state with an ITF Certificate recognizing Turkmenistan’s contribution to the development of tennis.
That same year, the Tennis Complex of the Ashgabat Olympic Village was recognized by the Asian Tennis Federation as an “Asian Regional Training Center.” The corresponding certificate was presented on June 1 during a ceremony at the Olympic Village by ITF Asia Development Representative Seyedamir Borghei.
The conference further emphasized that, thanks to large-scale and multifaceted efforts, including those of the national tennis federation, the Turkmen capital has gained high international prestige as a rapidly developing center of world sports equipped with all the necessary conditions for hosting competitions of the highest level. Therefore, it was no coincidence that Ashgabat was declared the “City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth” during the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government held in the Turkmen capital on May 24, 2024. This decision became a sign of special trust from the international sports community and recognition of Turkmenistan’s achievements in promoting physical culture, sports, and international cooperation in this field.
Another vivid example of Ashgabat’s transformation into a recognized international sports center, as well as broad support from the International and Asian Tennis Federations for the sports development strategy pursued under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, Hero-Arkadag, was the successful “Ashgabat Open 2024” international tennis tournament for boys and girls under 14 from 12 countries in Europe and Asia — Great Britain, India, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The event was held at the “Tennis Toplumy” Asian Regional Training Center, where in August 2025 the ITF Level 2 Regional Coaches Seminar was held for the first time. The seminar brought together 15 coaches — 11 from Turkmenistan and 4 from Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan — providing them with an excellent opportunity to improve their professional skills for training high-level tennis players.
Currently, the educational system of the Turkmenistan Tennis Federation is licensed and approved by the International Tennis Federation, allowing the TTF to independently conduct “Play Tennis” courses and issue ITF certificates.
The conference also highlighted the active work of the TTF leadership in strengthening international cooperation.
In particular, the Turkmenistan Tennis Federation signed a cooperation agreement with the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU), the world’s first higher education institution specializing in sports business education, located in Sochi, Russia. The document provides for close cooperation in training high-level sports managers in the field of the Olympic movement and sports in Turkmenistan. In 2025, the TTF and UNICEF also launched Turkmenistan’s first “Wheelchair Tennis” program, giving children with disabilities the opportunity to participate in sports.
It was also reported that during the General Assembly and Board of Directors meeting of the Asian Tennis Federation held in October 2025, the rapid growth in tennis popularity in Turkmenistan was noted. Gratitude was expressed to the country’s leadership for supporting the development of this popular Olympic sport, and high praise was given to the organization of the ITF Level 2 Regional Coaches Seminar held at the “Tennis Toplumy” Asian Regional Training Center with the support of the National Olympic Committee and the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Physical Culture and Sports.
ATF leadership also highlighted the successful performances of Turkmen tennis players at international tournaments, including Asian championships for players under 12 and 14 years old.
In addition, Turkmenistan’s women’s team finished second at the Billie Jean King Cup Group III Asia/Oceania regional tournament held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the men’s national team, participating for the first time in the prestigious ITF Masters World Team Championships in Manavgat, Türkiye, advanced to the world’s top eight teams on its debut appearance, marking a historic achievement for Turkmen tennis.
For the first time in the history of Turkmen tennis, the women’s national team’s top player and medalist of various tournaments, Ilima Guseynova, became the second-ranked player in Asia among girls under 14.
The men’s team also achieved outstanding success at the Davis Cup zonal tournament in Bahrain, earning the right to compete in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group IV in 2026.
The current year has also started successfully for our tennis players. Young female athletes from Turkmenistan achieved a triumphant performance at the West and Central Asia Tennis Championships for players under 14 held in Manama, Bahrain, with participants from 13 countries. Following the two-week qualification tournament — the ITF Asia 14&U Development Championships, which had official ITF status and served as one of the qualifying stages for the Wimbledon and Australian Open junior tournaments of 2027 — Turkmen players Nyazly Hudaykulieva and Sulgun Ishankulieva twice climbed to the top of the podium in singles and doubles events.
Meanwhile, the Turkmenistan U16 boys’ national team earned, for the first time, the right to compete in the final qualification stage of the Junior Davis Cup in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, after successfully performing in the preliminary qualification round held in Colombo in March this year among the 16 best teams in Asia.
Participants of the conference also unanimously voted to admit new members into the Turkmenistan Tennis Federation and elected a new Board, Deputy Chairpersons, and the Secretary General of the TTF. Ezizmyrat Annamyradov, Nikolai Shegunts, Ata Eyeberdiyev, and Mirali Gasanov were elected Deputy Chairmen of the Turkmenistan Tennis Federation, while Ogultach Kurbanberdiyeva was elected Secretary General of the TTF.
At the conclusion of the conference, participants expressed sincere gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero-Arkadag, for their tremendous attention to sports development issues and assured that they would make every effort to further strengthen the sporting prestige of the Motherland.
