Off-court coaching will be permitted in tennis tournaments following a successful trial of the new rule. Players were previously sanctioned for taking instructions from a member of their team during matches.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) have announced that the rule will come into play from January 1, 2025. There have been trials of permitted off-court coaching since 2017. From 2023, the majority of sanctioned tournaments, including all four Grand Slams, were trialling off-court coaching.
An ITF statement read: “Following a majority vote from National Association delegates at the 2024 ITF AGM in Hong Kong, the ITF Rules of Tennis will be amended to allow off-court coaching from 1 January 2025.”
The statement continued: “Feedback on the trials has been positive and all international sanctioning bodies supported an application to the ITF Rules of Tennis Committee for a permanent change to the Rules of Tennis, to give sanctioning bodies the ability to allow off-court coaching in their competitions.”
Players would previously receive a code violation if they were deemed to be receiving coaching from members of their team situated in the stands. On-court coaching – where a coach sits within the close vicinity of the court – will remain banned unless it is taking place during a team event, where a captain will often be positioned slightly to the side of the court.
It is hoped that permanently permitting off-court coaching will reduce subjectivity in the enforcements of the rule. The ITF also says that it believes the change will ease the burden on chair umpires who have to judge whether players are being coached.
Coaching will be permitted at any time during a match apart from when a point is taking place. The communication may be verbal or by hand gestures, although it must be brief and discreet.
Denis Shapovalov has criticised the change. He posted on X: “Not just as a tennis player but as a fan of this sport it’s sad to see this new off court coaching rule. Tennis is special because you are out there alone. Why are you trying to change the beauty of this game.”
Stuart Miller, ITF senior executive director for integrity and legal, said: “We’ve gathered feedback from all key stakeholders including players, coaches and chair umpires.
“Players felt it was a positive development and makes tournaments more interesting for them.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk