For decades, tennis was one of the few disciplines in which players were forbidden to contact the coach during the match. They could not consult even during breaks in the game. Last year, the tennis authorities decided to loosen the ban a bit. The British press is reporting that Wimbledon is considering introducing a new rule to its protocol.
Tennis has many rules. One of them is the lack of possibility to consult the coach during matches and during breaks. This is a rigorously followed rule. Few other rules are more severely punished if broken.
In the middle of last year there was a breakthrough. A real revolution in tennis. In July 2022, shortly after the end of Wimbledon 2022, the ATP authorities decided that tennis players can ask their coaches for advice during the match.
“Conversation between the player and the coach will only be allowed from certain seats in the stands and provided that the game is not interrupted and the opponent is not distracted. Another condition is that a tennis player can talk to his coach only when they are on the same side of the court and their communication is limited to words or short sentences, without dialogue. “Gestures will still be allowed.” the ATP said.
The new rule first came into effect during January’s Australian Open. According to the Telegraph, the Wimbledon authorities also want to authorize communication between coaches and tennis players. Changes would be introduced from this year’s editions. Interestingly, in 2017, Wimbledon’s then executive director Richard Lewis was categorically against such changes. Will the new rule actually come into force? We’ll find out in a moment.
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