Until recently, tennis was one of the few sports in which the players were stuck only with themselves. In almost every sport, coaches have the right to advise teams or players, but in tennis it was forbidden. The first changes to these rules in men’s tournaments took place in the middle of last year. In July, just after the end of Wimbledon, the ATP decided that tennis players would be able to use coaches’ advice. Fans witnessed this, among others, during the Australian Open in January.
Wimbledon and Roland Garros will introduce rule changes. New to tennis
As it turns out, the next Grand Slam tournaments intend to implement these changes. “Telegraph” informs that the organizers of Wimbledon will allow coaches to communicate with players. According to journalists, Roland Garros is also expected to take the same step. The changes are to come into force during this year’s edition. The English claim that the decision taken by the bosses of Roland Garros and Wimbledon is part of the process of unifying the rules in men’s tennis.
Just a few years ago, such changes would have been unthinkable. In 2017, the then-executive director of Wimbledon, Richard Lewis, was critical of this idea. – We are very much against it. We consider it a gladiatorial sport, an individual sport. You go to the court and the whole rule of tennis is you’re on your own,” he told ESPN.
ATP rules regarding coach-player communication:
- Coaches must sit in the seats designated by the organizers at the beginning of the match
- Coaches may give advice to a player as long as they do not interrupt play or interfere with an opponent
- Verbal advice may only be given when the player is on the same side of the court as his coach
- Non-verbal (sign) advice will be allowed at any time during the match
- Verbal advice may consist of a few words or short sentences, conversations are prohibited
- Coaches are not allowed to talk to a player if he leaves the field for any reason
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This year’s Roland Garros will take place from May 28 to June 11, and Wimbledon will run from July 3 to July 16.
Source: Sport.PL
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
