ATP and coaching on the pitch, a decision that once again divided opinions on the professional circuit

Tennis is one of the few sports where players enter the court and must make decisions for solve situations on your own. Your coach can support and encourage you from the stands, but not give you instructions. That, in theory and according to the regulation. the reality is different. Because there are many tennis players who usually receive instruct from the pits during matches, which usually causes anger in rivals and even some penalties for the people involved, when the referees become aware of the violation of the rules. In the men’s circuit, for years, there has been discussions about the possibility of “legalizing” this practice. Finally this week the ATP has been encouraged to break tradition and has revealed that it will test it in the second half of this 2022.

“The test phase – which will start on 11 July and will last until the end of the season – will be subject to collective evaluation to determine the possible inclusion of off-track coaching in future seasons”the agency explained in a note.

And although that decision certainly sought to put an end to the controversy that usually arises when the manager becomes apparent in a match, the announcement has split the circuit again. Because there are those who applauded the change and those who strongly criticized itas had happened in the past.

For the test phase – which will cover all ATP tournaments for the rest of the season, in addition to the US Open and the ATP Finals in Turin -, the men’s tennis association has set up some rules.

Coaches will be able to give instructions during qualification and main draw matches, provided they are seated in their designated seats in the tournament.

The instruct It will only be allowed if it doesn’t stop the game either creates annoyance to the opponent during the point. The minutes, which must consist of short phrases or words (not conversations), can only be done when the player is on the same side of the court as his coach. The non-verbal (hand sign) is allowed at any time during the match. And dialogue between coaches and players is forbidden when they leave the field (to go to the bathroom, to be seen by the doctor, etc.). Also, the judges will be able to sanction if they notice an abuse of these norms.

“In addition to ensuring consistency in sport for the benefit of players and fans, this testing phase will also attempt to increase moments of intrigue and closeness to improve the experience for spectators,” explained the ATP.

Legal coaching is nothing new for men’s tennis. In Davis Cup, team captains sit on the bench with their players and usually give them instructions and advice between points. In the professional circuit this practice has already been tested in some editions of the New generation finalsfirst by allowing communication between coaches and tennis players through headphones and, last year, directly.

On the ATP Tour, however, it has always been banned, even if it happens quite often. In recent years, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who in 2021 publicly spoke out in favor of “legalization”, is the one who is usually the protagonist of controversy for having violated that rule. “It should be allowed at any time. Make it legal. It’s a matter of time before that happens,” he’d commented.

In the last Masters of Montecarlo which was played in April, for example, the Greek was criticized by Fabio Fognini, who he beat in the second round, for talking too much with his father / coach Apostolos. A few months earlier, Daniil Medvedev had complained about the same thing during the Australian Open semi-final. “Everyone is watching him, he doesn’t stop talking to him”, the Russian complained to the referee.

Rafael Nadal was also reported at one point by some of his colleagues, who claimed he was his uncle Tony, when he was still his coach, he gave him instructions with hand signs and with some specific words that indicated, for example, where to serve. The Swiss Stan Wawrinka once commented. Fognini himself complained to the referee during the final in Hamburg 2015 that he had lost against the Spaniard: “He always does the same thing. Always the same!” And also Novak Djokovic’s father, after his son’s defeat against the Majorcan at Roland Garros, assured: “Novak’s problem is that Toni trains during matches.”

Mixed opinions.

Since discussions began about regulating coaching, opinions have been divided. Roger Federer, for example, has always expressed his opposition. Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’ former coach and Simona Halep’s current coach, has supported the idea in the past. And this week she ratified her position in her favor.

“Congratulations to the ATP for ‘legalizing’ a practice that has been used in almost every game for decades. No more hypocrisy,” wrote the French coach, accused of “coaching” Williams during the US Open final. 2018, which received a warning for this, lost his temper, argued airily with the referee and ended up overshadowing Naomi Osaka’s victory.

Gilles Cervaracoach of Medvedev, number one in the world, agrees: “I am especially in favor of breaking this environmental hypocrisy and the lack of consistency with the sanctions to the coaches. Sometimes the chair referee does not dare, suddenly to the next day when he dares for less flashy coaching Then there are coaches who are fined for simply saying ‘Here we go!’ during the game. It is not a stable situation, it is not well regulated “.

Nick Kyrgios responded to Mouratoglou’s tweet with a clear message. “I completely disagree. You lose one of the peculiarities that only this sport has. The player has to manage the game by himself. That’s the beauty. What happens if a top player plays against a low profile player? Below, who can you not allow a bus? “, reflected the oceanic.

Carlos MoiaAlso, former singles number one and Nadal’s coach, he supported the tradition.

“Tennis is characterized by the absence of help on the court, it is a solitary battle for the tennis player. Nothing to do with other sports. It is part of the mental level of each player to manage the time between point and point in the best way possible with a thousand impulses and being able to think clearly about tactics and control one’s emotions. The coach has to help you in advance, the game itself is like an exam where the player is alone. I wouldn’t touch anything, “he commented.

And he added: “It will also increase the differences between the players, it does not equalize them as you think. Let’s think of that player who travels without a coach, for example. There will be arguments, fights, verbal clashes between players and coaches”.

The ATP broke tradition and proposed a change that could be historic. Will coaching stop or will contrary opinions prevent the legalization of this practice in the male circuit?

The WTA led the way.

Training is allowed for several seasons in the women’s circuit. In 2018 the WTA, the body that governs women’s professional tennis, piloted a rule that allows coaches to enter the field and give directions to their players on the bench at specific points in the match. And in 2020 it opened a trial period to allow the same practice from the stands, which was then suspended due to the pandemic.

“Coaching is part of sport and we would be hypocrites if we deny it exists. But it has to be done right,” he said in late April. steve simonepresident of the WTA, in an interview with The tennis podcast.

“We made the decision to test the training from the stands, but it was held back by the pandemic. And for now we will continue to allow the training on the sidelines, which we will finish testing with this year. It works very well. The players like it and the coaches. We managed to do it in a way that is discreet, you don’t see them screaming or gesturing across the court. And it also gave legitimacy, because coaching has been going on in tennis for years, even if some people don’t want to admit it, that system it works for us and we will continue on that path, even if we are open to an evolution in the future, “he added.

The WTA 2022 regulation establishes that a player can request the presence of their coach on the pitch once per set; when your opponent asks for a break to change, go to the bathroom or seek medical assistance; or when the match is interrupted, for example, by the rule of extreme heat and the ten-minute break allowed between the second and third set.