The era of ‘coaching’ begins in tennis, coach and player will be able to talk to each other during the match

New small revolution in tennis. Starting January 1, 2025, players will officially be able to talk to your coach during the match. After having experimented with the rule for several years, the International Federation (ITF) decided to officially introduce it at the end of a vote that took place in Hong Kong.

The coaches will be able to talk to the players between points

Il coaching it had already been introduced in a light form from 2022. Coaches were allowed to communicate only when their client was on the same side of the pitch but never when, for any reason, he moved away from the pitch. Now coaches, however, will be able to communicate with their players verbally if they are on the same side or through signals if their client is on the other end of the pitch. Directives should be brief and in a low voice and they can also be given between one point and another as well as during breaks. However, ‘coaching’ will not be automatic. The ITF has in fact clarified that the organizers of the various tournaments will have the freedom to apply this new provision or not.

The ITF rules director: “Positive feedback from everyone”

“We have received positive feedback from everyone,” he commented Stuart Millerdirector of rules of the ITF. “The players said it made the tournaments more interesting, the coaches pointed out that it improved the players’ performance on the pitch, the referees were happy to be able to concentrate on what was happening on the pitch rather than in the stands.”

Fritz and Shapovalov lead the opposition party

In reality, not everyone reacted enthusiastically to the news. The American Taylor Fritzn. 6 in the world, demonstrated his opposition with a post on ‘X’ in which he wrote polemically: “Can we please stop ruining the mental and strategic one-on-one duel of sport? Thank you…”. The Canadian echoed this Denis Shapovalovwho again on ‘X’ declared: “Not only as a tennis player, but also as a simple fan of this sport, it is sad to see the arrival of this new rule on coaching. Tennis is special because you are alone out there. Why are you trying to change the charm of this sport?”, he commented.