There have been many high-profile critical moments as a result of instructions tennis players have received from their coaches during matches over the years.
In-match coaching once carried a higher risk of code violations, and some of the sport’s biggest names were among those punished for taking advice while playing.
Training restrictions are, however, being reduced under rule changes approved in mid-2022, which have drawn a mixed reaction from players and coaches.
What are the current rules and to what extent are players allowed to be coached during matches? Here’s what you need to know for the upcoming US Open and beyond.
Off-field coaching: what were the rules before?
Communication between players and coaches was generally prohibited, although regulations around coaching varied considerably between the men’s controlling body, the ATP, the women’s equivalent, the WTA, and different types of tournaments and levels of the sport – and still do, to a lesser extent.
Unlike men’s players, for example, women’s players were allowed to request on-court coaching once per set, provided it was not a Grand Slam tournament. The rules on in-match coaching in women’s football have been increasingly relaxed since 2008.
The ITF governing body also allows players to freely access training at any time during Davis Cup and Federation Cup matches.
No coaching is allowed when players take a bathroom break, which is part of the reason a tournament official accompanies players when they request it. But they can talk to their coach if their match is suspended, which might partly explain why the pace of matches sometimes changes when there is a long interruption in the middle of a match.
How have the rules regarding in-match tennis coaching changed?
While talking during matches is still not allowed, coaching with restrictions is now permitted under the rules initially introduced at the 2022 US Open.
The Australian Open also implemented the trial in January 2023, followed by Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Coaches can give brief verbal instructions and provide guidance through gestures, but they still cannot have conversations with their players during breaks in play, when there is a brief delay in the game, or when competitors are taking a bathroom break.
What are the sanctions and penalties for off-field coaching?
Players are initially given a warning when a referee considers that they have communicated with a coach in a manner or at a time that is not permitted.
A second infraction results in a point penalty (loss of one point) and a third results in the loss of an entire match.
One of the most explosive examples of the violation occurred during the 2018 US Open final, when Serena Williams was furious with umpire Carlos Ramos after he penalized her for receiving advice from her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, who appeared to be making subtle gestures.
It’s no surprise to see Mouratoglou publicly backing the decision to change the rules. “Congratulations to the ATP for ‘legalizing’ a practice that has been happening in almost every match for decades,” Williams’ coach of 10 years wrote on Twitter. “No more hypocrisy.”
Another player who was coached by Mouratoglou, Stefanos Tsitsipas, has been punished several times for coaching players, including when his father, Apostolos, was also punished during his son’s loss to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of the 2022 Australian Open.
What are tennis players saying about the changes to training rules?
Arguments have long diverged on this issue. Proponents of the changes argue that tennis should be no different from many other sports in allowing coaches to direct players during matches, while others argue that an individual sport should not encourage outside influence while the action is taking place.
Tennis legend Roger Federer has said he’s “not entirely for it.” “I think it’s pretty cool that in tennis you’re kind of alone on the court,” the 20-time Grand Slam champion said in 2017. “Not everyone has the same resources to train. So I’m not sure it’s that beneficial.”
Rafael Nadal’s coach, Carlos Moya, is not in favor of it. “What makes tennis a special sport is that it is the only sport where you are alone against the other, without the help of anyone,” Moya said. Eurosport when the rule changes were discussed.
“In the rest of the sport, you have that contact in one way or another, whether it’s through your coach, through the radio, with the caddie, etc.
“That lonely battle that the tennis player wages – placing the pieces of the puzzle 180 beats and 20 seconds between points, choosing the right tactics for each game – is part of the quality of every player.
“For me, it is essential that the player thinks for himself. The coach’s work is already done. It’s like an exam: the teacher can help you, but once the exam starts, you are alone. The coach’s work must be done before the match. The player must have mastered all the variations because then things will happen that were surely not foreseen in the scenario.”
Twelve-time Grand Slam champion Billie Jean King said she was skeptical about the impact a rule change would have.
“They say that in tennis you have to think for yourself, but I have told the players many times what they have to do and they can do it or not. It’s up to them to decide.”
2021 US Open winner Medvedev was similarly ambiguous. “During the match, I don’t really see how a coach can help like in other sports, where tactics are so important,” he said, speaking ahead of a match against Taylor Fritz.
“I think in every five games a coach will suddenly say to you, ‘Change position on the return’ or ‘Play the backhand’, if he sees it from the outside. So I think that can sometimes be a game changer.
“At the same time, in many games… let’s say I play against Fritz and it’s our first meeting. I know how he plays and he knows how I play. I don’t think the coaching on the pitch tomorrow will make a big difference. But in general, I don’t see any disadvantages to it – I’ve never been opposed to it.”
Denis Shapovalov warned that allowing coaching could “change the tradition” and Fritz said he “really hated” the idea, adding that it is “not something that should be part of our sport”.
Medvedev’s coach Gilles Cervara said the rule change would end “hypocrisy” and “lack of consistency” in the application of penalties during matches, adding Major tennis tournaments:”Tennis is such a cerebral sport that for some players, a talking coach is more annoying than anything else.”
Tsitsipas said he was “happy” with the change. “I don’t see any reason to have a coach with you if he can’t share some of his perspective and knowledge with you when you’re competing,” the Greek said.
“I feel like it’s something very natural in our sport. It happens to almost every player. The fact that tennis is now legalized is going to make tennis a little more peaceful and make players focus more on the game, less on some other kind of nonsense.”
Even after the trial period for the rule change began, there were mid-match altercations involving coaches. “These people keep talking, pointing, pointing,” No. 23 seed Nick Kyrgios shouted from his box at the U.S. Open during his first-round singles victory over regular doubles partner Thanasi Kokkinakis. “But he’s allowed to do it. It’s legal now, it’s legal.”
Kyrgios, who has always been outspoken, had previously expressed his disagreement with Mouratoglou’s views on Twitter. “The player [previously] “I had to figure things out for myself,” he told her.
“That’s the beauty of it. What happens if it’s a top player versus a bottom player, who doesn’t have or can’t afford to have a coach?”
2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina’s coach Stefano Vukov has been criticised for being too aggressive when taking advantage of the new rules during his player’s run to the 2023 Australian Open final.
Following Rybakina’s loss to Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne, former world number one Pam Shriver tweeted: “As I watch Rybakina attempt to win her second major in seven months, I hope she finds a coach who speaks to her and treats her with respect at ALL times and will never accept anything less.”
Rybakina replied: “He is a passionate coach who knows tennis very well. Unlike those who make such comments, he has a great knowledge of me as a person and as an athlete.
“Those who know me well know that I would never accept a coach who would not respect me and all our work. I may be discreet on the field and in general, but inside me there is a competitive athlete who wants to achieve great things – and Stefano has helped me a lot in this sense. So please, do not take into account the false information that claims otherwise.”
Explaining himself, Vukov mentioned one of the new challenges presented to coaches trying to advise players during matches.
“It’s part of our sport, it’s normal,” he said. “There are 10,000 people on the field; getting a player’s attention is certainly not easy and people don’t understand it. I have to shout something if she’s off the track.”
“People can interpret that however they want, but at the end of the day we’re just doing our job. Coaching is now allowed and she’s using it in the best way possible.”
For American prospect Ben Shelton’s coach, Dean Goldfine, the “big gray area” is the question of what constitutes a conversation between a player and a coach.
“It’s kind of ridiculous, just from that perspective,” Goldfine said, telling the The New York Times that being allowed to receive coaching during games had been “huge” for Shelton.
