Wimbledon and the French Open make a U-turn as a major tennis rule change approved | Tennis | Sport

In the two tennis Grand Slam tournaments, Wimbledon and the French Open, players can now be coached from the stands. It’s a movement that divides opinion among experts and fans.

The Telegraph has reported that premier grass and clay court events Wimbledon and the French Open were the latest to join the rest of the tennis tour in adopting the rule. The All-England Club, which hosts tennis’ most traditional event – Wimbledon, previously opposed the idea that players could take advice from the sidelines.

Then CEO Richard Lewis told ESPN in 2017: Philosophically, we’re very opposed. We believe it is a gladiatorial sport, an individual sport; you go to the court and the whole premise of tennis is that you are alone.

But Wimbledon has reportedly ditched that stance, meaning last summer’s Grand Slam will likely go down as the last elite event where players were left to fend for themselves on court. This is music to the ears of the world’s top third Stefanos Tsitsipas, a long-time on-field coaching advocate who has received several coaching warnings after speaking to his coach and father Apostolos.

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In an effort to follow her closely at the 2022 Australian Open, the tournament put Greek official Eva Asderaki in the tunnel under the players’ box to pick up the dialogue. In the controversial 2018 US Open final, Patrick Mouratoglou put his hand forward to suggest that his client at the time, Serena Williams, should come to the net more often against Naomi Osaka.

Williams did not realize he was responsible for the coach’s actions in the stands and was furious when referee Carlos Ramos issued him a foul. As the rule now applies throughout the tour, the likelihood of the above incidents happening again is unlikely.

However, there was controversy at this year’s Australian Open when second-seeded Elena Rybakina claimed she was happy with Stefano Vukov’s coaching methods at Melbourne Park after anger erupted over his communication methods. Vukov was seen as too aggressive with his instructions, while 2013 Wimbledon winner Marion Bartoli and singles great and tennis commentator Pam Shriver did not anticipate his gestures well.

DON’T GO ANYWHERE

In an interview with Eurosport, the reigning Wimbledon champion explained why he defended his coach and also insisted he is happy with his coach. “Unfortunately, the internet is a big thing and someone can make a comment without thinking, and then people just pick it up and make a mess,” he said.

A few people commented; they don’t know me at all, and they don’t know my team, which I was really surprised about, because if there’s a problem, you can always come and talk to me directly. But people decided to post it on the internet, so I kind of showed the reality that everything is fine and everyone needs to stay where they are and not mess around.