The ATP has finally decided to follow the WTA and allow coaching on court but for the present, it will be on a trial basis during the second half of 2022 commencing on July 11 (and includes the US Open) and will allegedly conclude at the end of the ATP Tour Finals in November.
Completely disagree. Loses one of the only unique traits that no other sport had. The player had to figure out things on his own. That was the beauty of it. What happens if a high-profile player versus a low-ranked player who doesn’t have or [cannot] afford a coach? Nick Kyrgis
However, there will still be some restrictions for coaches to help their players during a match:
* Coaches must sit in the tournament’s designated coach seats
* Coaching (verbal and non-verbal) is allowed only if it does not interrupt play or create any hindrance to the opponent
* Verbal coaching is permitted only when the player is at the same end of the court
* Non-verbal coaching (hand signals) is permitted at any time
* Verbal coaching may consist of a few words and/or short phrases (no conversations are permitted)
* Coaches may not speak to their player when the player leaves the court for any reason
* Penalties and fines will still apply for abuse or misuse of the above coaching conditions
The decision has been met with some criticism, notable from Andy Roddick and Nick Kyrgios while Patrick Mouratoglou, former coach to Serena Williams, was delighted at the news, declaring that it would remove all the hypocrisy behind coaching in tennis.
The controversial Aussie responding to Mouratoglou, said: “Completely disagree. Loses one of the only unique traits that no other sport had. The player had to figure out things on his own. That was the beauty of it. What happens if a high-profile player versus a low-ranked player who doesn’t have or [cannot] afford a coach?”
Nick Kyrgios is against the decision
Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
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