By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Remember in 2022 when the ATP Tour announced that off-court training would be allowed on a trial basis? Since then, coaching during matches, from the players’ boxes, has become the norm at the tournament.
On Monday, the ITF announced that the changes had become official.
Here’s how Stuart Miller, ITF Chief Executive, explained the decision.
“This has been going on in trial form since 2017. People who have been following the sport, particularly over the last couple of years, will have seen trials taking place across the professional game, including the ITF World Tennis Tour, ATP and WTA Tour and all Grand Slams.
“We have collected feedback from all key stakeholders, including players, coaches and referees. The players thought it was a positive development and makes the tournaments more interesting for them. Coaches have said it helps develop players and helps improve their professional standing. Referees have said it improves their ability to focus on monitoring the game and making the right decisions, rather than whether or not a coach is coaching against the rules. So all parties have welcomed this and it’s great to see the AGM’s support for what we think will be a positive change for the game of tennis.”
The decision was immediately met with some reaction from players on the ATP Tour.
“Practice off the field is bad,” said Aussie John Millman.
Field training is bad. https://t.co/6SyCj1bWcK
– John Millman (@johnhmillman) October 21, 2024
Taylor Fritz gave his opinion, requesting that the powers not disrupt the mental and strategic aspect of the sport, while Denis Shapovalov also gave a nuanced perspective, saying, “Tennis is special because you’re just out there, why are you trying to change the beauty of the game?”
For the record, Magnus Normanin a rare case of dissent from a coach, agrees with Shapovalov.
Can we stop screwing up the 1v1 mental/strategic aspect of the sport PLEASE https://t.co/bXVQFl0Fj9
— Taylor Fritz (@Taylor_Fritz97) October 21, 2024
I haven’t seen many coaches speak out against field training. Here’s one. pic.twitter.com/TgbOKOeydx
— Gill Gross 🍏 (@Gill_Gross) October 21, 2024
What that means is that it won’t change much from what has already happened on the tour for the past two seasons. The trial is over. Coaches are allowed to coach, provided they follow some basic rules:
Training is allowed between points and at the change of ends and breaks of sets, as well as at any other moment (except a match of a point) allowed by the sanctioning body.
For off-court practice and on-court practice between spots, communication may be verbal (when the coach(s) and player(s) are at the same end of the court) or by hand signals (at any time when practice is permitted) only.
Off-field practice and on-field practice between points should be short (except during game breaks) and measured.
