The players praise the facilities and coaches "It's like paradise, " Karatantcheva said but van Harpen still preaches patience.

WSJ: How to Build a Tennis Empire

Van Harpen has consulted Kazakhstan's tennis development for the last four years and now works 24 weeks a year for the federation.

WSJ: How to Build a Tennis Empire

Van Harpen said they recently learned something about their methods: They were being too easy on the best juniors accepted into the national program.

WSJ: How to Build a Tennis Empire