Coaching is now allowed during tennis matches, but how useful is it?

At the new United Cup tournament that kicked off the 2023 season in Australia, Cam Norrie And Taylor Fritz split the first two sets and were engaged in a thrilling battle for the final set.

But Norrie’s coach, Facundo Lugones, had some important information to pass on: Norrie couldn’t get enough of Fritz’s serve on the deuce (or right) back in the game and had to back up, Lugones recalled. And when Norrie was serving, Lugones saw that Norrie was already winning his own on the deuce side when he served the ball wide of Fritz’s forehand, so he urged him to do that more often.

13th-seeded Norrie won 6–4 in the third set. It’s impossible to call coaching the deciding factor – the players had to make their shots – but it added another wrinkle for the players and the fans.

The WTA began allowing in-game coaching in 2020, while the ATP debuted coaching last summer, making this French Open only the third Grand Slam tournament it has allowed for men’s tennis.

Exchanges are restricted: While hand signals are now allowed, players and coaches are only allowed to talk during the 25 seconds between points when the player is on the side where the coach is sitting. (Outside of Grand Slams, the WTA allows female players one longer conversation per set during a switchover.)

Still, many players, including ninth Fritz, criticized the change, calling it a “stupid rule” that conflicted with the idea of ​​an individual sport. Lugones said Norrie was also “not a big fan of on-field coaching – most players like the one-on-one battle.” When things go well, he says, he doesn’t say much.

Zhang Zhizhen climbed from 99th to 69th in Madrid this month by beating Denis Shapovalov, Norrie and Fritz in a week as he left his coach at home. “I don’t like when my coach talks to me. It makes me feel confused and complicates things,” Zhizhen said. “Sometimes I’ll say, ‘Stop, you’re talking too much.'”

Many players want at least some outside advice and encouragement.

“When you look from the outside, you see more, so a coach can really help with the small changes. If I miss forehand returns, he’ll tell me if I should step back or stay low, which can make a difference,” said Rohan Bonannawho ranks 11th in doubles.

While the enforced brevity is limiting, live coaching can be effective, the third said Jessica Pegula. “You can now change your game plan a little faster.” Both she and Jan Lennard Struff, who is ranked 28th, said that in difficult matches, a psychological push was just as important. “Then it’s about the positive energy and good vibes,” Struff said.

Ranked fifteenth Hubert Hurkacz agreed that a “bigger strategy” and a psychological boost could really help, but added that he will occasionally cut off communication. “Sometimes I can say, ‘I got this,’ and focus on myself,” he said.

Even Fritz regularly communicates during matches. his coach, Michael Russellsaid 70 percent of their exchanges were about the mental game — “stay positive, point by point, keep moving” — and 30 percent were more tactical and strategic.

“A player can be so hyper-focused that they can’t see the bigger picture,” Russell said, adding that his suggestions often bolstered their pregame planning while capitalizing on trends Russell had noticed. “There are games where Taylor finds it too easy to hit the backhand crosscourt and just extend the rally. If he isn’t aggressive enough and uses the backhand down the line, I’ll tell him to do that to hurt his opponent even more.”

But Russell said his advice was broad and not telling Fritz where to serve on the next point.

“It’s better not to be specific because if it doesn’t work on that next point, you’re driving him into negativity,” said Russell. He also won’t make technical adjustments like saying his coin toss is too low unless it’s a blatant issue because he doesn’t want Fritz to think about it.

Lugones said being limited to maybe five words – often at a distance in a stadium full of screaming fans – limited the amount of actual coaching that was possible. While Norrie will take more advice during certain matches, the consultations are fairly brief.

“You can’t fully explain a change of patterns, and if the player doesn’t hear or understand you, it can backfire,” he said. “That is why coaching during matches is often more mental than tactical.”

That’s especially true for the men at Grand Slams, where matches can be five sets and last four or five hours.

“The Slams are like a roller coaster – you have to remind your player that there are a lot of momentum shifts and whoever handles that better will win the match,” said Lugones. “Stay patient and remember that you have time to change things.”

Russell added that as the game progresses he will remind Fritz of nutrition and calorie intake and not rush through points if fatigue sets in. But sometimes, when a player is tired, the best move is to grunt encouragement like Mickey, the trainer in the movie “Rocky.”

“Make sure he can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Russell said.

In that Norrie-Fritz game at the United Cup, the coaches had access to live stream data, which Lugones said was helpful in confirming the patterns he picked up with his eyes. “It’s especially good to have during the long games,” he said.

He would like to see more dates used during matches, but he would also like to see the men’s tour change the rule that one real conversation per set is allowed during a substitution. “You would have more time to explain your tactics and make sure the player hears,” he said.

Lugones would even be open to letting the TV audience listen in, as other sports often attach microphones to coaches. “If it’s better for the sport and will attract more fans,” he said, “that’s fine.”