Controversial tennis rule change to come into force in weeks as world No6 rants ‘stop ruining our sport’

TENNIS is acceptable to let off-court coaching from the opening of the 2025 season.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) confirmed the arguable regularisation alteration astatine their caller AGM successful Hong Kong.

Previously, players were not allowed to person coaching astatine each during matches.

During the 2023 and 2024 seasons, however, the ATP and WTA Tours person trialled allowing players to beryllium coached from the stands.

Following the trials, the ITF person confirmed that the alteration volition travel into effect connected a full-time basis, aft consultation with players, coaches and umpires.

The ITF's elder enforcement manager Stuart Miller said: "Players felt it was a affirmative improvement and makes tournaments much absorbing for them.

"Coaches person said it helps subordinate improvement and helps to amended the lasting of their profession.

"Chair umpires person said it improves their quality to absorption connected monitoring the crippled and making the close decisions, alternatively than whether oregon not a manager is coaching against the rules."

The determination was confirmed aft receiving a bulk ballot from delegates astatine the ITF's yearly AGM successful Hong Kong.

Previously, umpires were tasked with monitoring whether coaches were giving proposal to their players.

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During the 2018 US Open final, Serena Williams infamously received a codification usurpation for coaching during the 2nd set, subsequently clashing with umpire Carlos Ramos and calling him a "thief" arsenic she mislaid 6-2 6-4 to Naomi Osaka.

While the ITF importune that they person consulted players regarding the regularisation change, they person received a backlash connected societal media.

World No6 Taylor Fritz wrote connected X: "Can we halt ruining the 1v1 mental/strategic facet of the athletics PLEASE."

While erstwhile apical 10 prima Denis Shapovalov posted: "Tennis is peculiar due to the fact that you are retired determination alone. Why are you trying to alteration the quality of this game."

The ITF consciousness that the regularisation alteration volition "support the improvement of players".

And they adhd that it could marque tennis "fairer, and perchance much entertaining".

'IT'S A DUMB RULE'

Fritz, 26, has agelong been a professional of players receiving coaching during matches.

When the imaginable regularisation alteration was discussed during the 2022 US Open, the American men's No1 said: "I haven’t talked to Mike [Russell, my coach] and helium hasn’t talked to maine 1 clip since the coaching has go a thing.

"It’s a dumb rule. Tennis is an idiosyncratic sport.

"Why are we making it not an idiosyncratic sport? A immense portion of tennis is, successful my mind, similar arsenic tennis is arsenic overmuch intelligence arsenic it is physical, and a large portion of it is you request to beryllium figuring it retired connected the tribunal for yourself.

"You request to beryllium the 1 figuring it out.

"I deliberation it’s ridiculous that you tin beryllium mentally not there, not bully analytically, not bully astatine benignant of moving done things and coming up with strategies, and you tin person idiosyncratic archer you what to do. I hatred it."