It is time for on-court coaching at slams for male players

Should there be on court coaching at slams?

  • Yes

  • No

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DreddyTennis45

DreddyTennis45

Hall of Fame
Yes this has been discussed to death and yes, this is like my gazillionth thread in the past week, but I do believe it is time for ATP players to have on court coaching.

Seriously though, why do WTA players get coaching but ATP do not? WTA have it easier in the fact that they literally only ever play BO3 but the men have to contend with BO5 every slam match which is not only physically exhausting but mentally exhausting. I have not heard any decent argument as to why the women can have it but the men cannot.

Also, most other sports pretty much have some sort of coaching available to them so why do male tennis players not get this privilege? Tennis is more mental than anything and I don't see anything wrong with a coach helping to calm his player down and give him a few pointers before a crucial fifth set, while it would also help stamp out the so called "cheating" that goes on when coaches give signals to their players (*cough* uncle toni *cough*)

I can understand why there isn't coaching for M1000 and lower events but slams are whole different animal, it's time for the rules to change.
 
NGM said:
It's the time for you to stop posting.
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What's the point? You could make the argument for it once upon a time when low-powered wooden racquets and huge diversity in surface characteristics meant every good player had a whole chest full of tools to bring to the tennis court.

But what's a coach going to say today? "Grind harder?" "Have you tried going crosscourt with even more spin?"

Pro tennis is monotone now (what Blocker calls, "motnotnone"), so there's no place for actual coaching in the pro game. What people call coaches are really trainers now, hired to work on weaknesses over the course of seasons, not to strategize.
 
DreddyTennis45 said:
Yes this has been discussed to death and yes, this is like my gazillionth thread in the past week, but I do believe it is time for ATP players to have on court coaching.

Seriously though, why do WTA players get coaching but ATP do not? WTA have it easier in the fact that they literally only ever play BO3 but the men have to contend with BO5 every slam match which is not only physically exhausting but mentally exhausting. I have not heard any decent argument as to why the women can have it but the men cannot.

Also, most other sports pretty much have some sort of coaching available to them so why do male tennis players not get this privilege? Tennis is more mental than anything and I don't see anything wrong with a coach helping to calm his player down and give him a few pointers before a crucial fifth set, while it would also help stamp out the so called "cheating" that goes on when coaches give signals to their players (*cough* uncle toni *cough*)

I can understand why there isn't coaching for M1000 and lower events but slams are whole different animal, it's time for the rules to change.
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This is one of the worst tennis ideas I have ever heard. I would probably stop watching.
 
In such a case, we can't make fun of WTA anymore. That would be boring.

You wouldn't want to mess around with the favorite pastime of some of us !
 
Yea because the current generation of players haven't been pampered enough with racquet technology, hawkeye, homogenised courts and the weakest field in the hiostory of the sport.
 
DreddyTennis45 said:
Yes this has been discussed to death and yes, this is like my gazillionth thread in the past week, but I do believe it is time for ATP players to have on court coaching.

Seriously though, why do WTA players get coaching but ATP do not? WTA have it easier in the fact that they literally only ever play BO3 but the men have to contend with BO5 every slam match which is not only physically exhausting but mentally exhausting. I have not heard any decent argument as to why the women can have it but the men cannot.

Also, most other sports pretty much have some sort of coaching available to them so why do male tennis players not get this privilege? Tennis is more mental than anything and I don't see anything wrong with a coach helping to calm his player down and give him a few pointers before a crucial fifth set, while it would also help stamp out the so called "cheating" that goes on when coaches give signals to their players (*cough* uncle toni *cough*)

I can understand why there isn't coaching for M1000 and lower events but slams are whole different animal, it's time for the rules to change.
Click to expand...

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/tennis/novak-djokovic-centre-cheat-row-5960496
 
SinjinCooper said:
What's the point? You could make the argument for it once upon a time when low-powered wooden racquets and huge diversity in surface characteristics meant every good player had a whole chest full of tools to bring to the tennis court.

But what's a coach going to say today? "Grind harder?" "Have you tried going crosscourt with even more spin?"

Pro tennis is monotone now (what Blocker calls, "motnotnone"), so there's no place for actual coaching in the pro game. What people call coaches are really trainers now, hired to work on weaknesses over the course of seasons, not to strategize.
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This really made me laugh. :)
 
DreddyTennis45 said:
Yes this has been discussed to death and yes, this is like my gazillionth thread in the past week, but I do believe it is time for ATP players to have on court coaching.

Seriously though, why do WTA players get coaching but ATP do not? WTA have it easier in the fact that they literally only ever play BO3 but the men have to contend with BO5 every slam match which is not only physically exhausting but mentally exhausting. I have not heard any decent argument as to why the women can have it but the men cannot.

Also, most other sports pretty much have some sort of coaching available to them so why do male tennis players not get this privilege? Tennis is more mental than anything and I don't see anything wrong with a coach helping to calm his player down and give him a few pointers before a crucial fifth set, while it would also help stamp out the so called "cheating" that goes on when coaches give signals to their players (*cough* uncle toni *cough*)

I can understand why there isn't coaching for M1000 and lower events but slams are whole different animal, it's time for the rules to change.
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I think this is a great idea!!!

These millennial snowflake cupcakes are so used to having helicopter parents and are not accustomed to solving any problem on their own that it's ridiculous to expect them to have even the basic mental toughness that the game requires. Remember, this is the generation where nothing is ever the result of their bad decisions or thinking. At least it would give them the opportunity vent to blame their parents, coaches, the umpires, etc...
 
ZiggyStardust said:
The fact that the WTA allows it is pathetic. There is no reason for the ATP to go the same route. The quality of being completely individual (no one except you influences the outcome) is one of the most appealing aspects of tennis.
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Exactly.

I'm not the one to likely pull '-ism'-cards, but damn, the fact that the WTA allows it, sends a pure message: "ladies are too stupid to think for themselves".
Not unlike "women are too stupid (or whatever) to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, pilots, scientists, etc."

It's too bad already that there are still major area's on this planet where this is indeed the main line of thought.

Sexism sucks.
 
There is oncourt coaching of elite male tennis players. Look at Boris/Vajda and Uncle Toni, as well as Muzz's box. Why do you think these guys look up to their boxes after literally every point? Federer never does that, nor do players like Stanimal, Berdych, Monfils, etc.

Boris was openly yelling at Djoker during Cincy 2015 to "move in!" and nothing was said about it. Toni has blatantly coached Nadal for years. None of it makes much difference anyway. Nadal and Djoker would have won just as many majors without getting "advantages" from their coaches.
 
No, tennis is 1v1. Once they're on court, they should have to figure things out themselves. If you look at WTA, a lot of them don't look like tennis players when the coach comes on. They look like whiny brats. I often think their opponents must gain much encouragement from their bad attitude.
 
WTA only does it as an incentive for TV. And even that has caused problems with coaches/players swearing, or not speaking English. Davis cup does it to involve the captains more.

For me, the joy of singles tennis is it being a one-on-one match. Mano a mano. So no, I oppose this motion.
 
TheMusicLover said:
Exactly.

I'm not the one to likely pull '-ism'-cards, but damn, the fact that the WTA allows it, sends a pure message: "ladies are too stupid to think for themselves".
Not unlike "women are too stupid (or whatever) to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, pilots, scientists, etc."

It's too bad already that there are still major area's on this planet where this is indeed the main line of thought.

Sexism sucks.
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The whole thing was supposedly to eliminate illegal coaching, and incidentally provide a little entertainment with the live mics. Unfortunately, people often cite it to reinforce their preconceived negative notions of women.

I personally think on court coaching is fine for really low level events (both genders) where young players are trying to find their way. Once they've reached the 500 or maybe the 250 level it should stop. I actually enjoy eavesdropping on the coach conversations sometimes. Pretty funny stuff.
 
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Pro tennis is simply entertainment. Much pro sports entertainment comes from personalities. Who cares what the people here think. If it brings more entertainment and more eyes to the game from people who do not ordinarily watch, then be all means it should be done.
 
Only if they make the coach sit court-side and double up as the towel boy all match, so the ball boys and girls can just focus on fetching the balls.
 
It is stupid. Simply because lower ranked players don't travel with coaches because they can afford them. Therefore, you would be increasing the advantage for rich players. Totally unfair and unnecessary. Leave tennis as it is please.
 
Nope. Keep on-court coaching where it belongs: In the toilet.

And for christ's sake, in the name of "equality", ban it from women's tennis.
(I bet the feminists won't like that though, seeing as they're about special treatment :rolleyes:)
 
Tennis is the only mainstream sport where it boils down 100% to the player to execute. At the highest levels all the pros have the shots and physicality - when you look at total points in a match it's almost dead even.

What you see is the player's mentality on display in the critical moments which determine the outcome, in match coaching would diminish that.

Singles' tennis is unique in that it's all about the player. Let us continue to keep it this way please.
 
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Vanhool said:
I personally think on court coaching is fine for really low level events (both genders) where young players are trying to find their way. Once they've reached the 500 or maybe the 250 level it should stop. I actually enjoy eavesdropping on the coach conversations sometimes. Pretty funny stuff.
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I can agree with this, when it comes to younger kids trying to find their way towards becoming a pro. Otherwise, nope.

VaporDude95 said:
Nope. Keep on-court coaching where it belongs: In the toilet.

And for christ's sake, in the name of "equality", ban it from women's tennis.
(I bet the feminists won't like that though, seeing as they're about special treatment :rolleyes:)
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I am in fact a feminist, and couldn't agree with you more.

TRUE feminism is about equal rights, not about granting 'special' rules for women or anything the like - which are in fact nothing else than insulting, if one indeed truly believes in equality for all. Which I do. ;)
 
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TheMusicLover said:
I can agree with this, when it comes to younger kids trying to find their way towards becoming a pro. Otherwise, nope.


I am in fact a feminist, and couldn't agree with you more.

TRUE feminism is about equal rights, not about granting 'special' rules for women or anything the like - which are in fact nothing else than insulting, if one indeed truly believes in equality for all. Which I do. ;)
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Feminism was about equal rights....until women got equal rights. They have them now. Egalitarianism is what's needed today I feel. But, then again, it's just yet another label to keep up with :rolleyes:
 
DreddyTennis45 said:
it's time for the rules to change
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there are some players who can't travel with a full-time coach for financial reasons; changing the rules would put these players at further disadvantage and would be unfair. A player who can't figure out what to do on the court on his own doesn't deserve to be there. (The late great coaching legend John Wooden seldom called timeouts late in UCLA basketball games, explaining that if they don't know what to do by now, they don't deserve to win.) I dislike the coaching thing in the WTA as well.
 
Not a fan of on court coaching, kind of pointless and hopefully will never be allowed at the Slams


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Your mind is a weapon just like your strokes, technique, and movement. It needs to be harnessed and mastered for Victory..!!

A weak mind will only face defeat..!!
 
Who are we kidding here ? Coaching happens anyway !!!!! When your coach is 5 metres from where you are playing, and can signal changes to you, then there is on court coaching !!!!! When you can take an medical timeout, and have your own physio come and treat you (with some hints from the coach), then you are receiving on court coaching.

If we don't want on court coaching, then there should be NO players box. All coaching staff should be relegated to VIP booths, and not allowed in the lower seats of the stadium.
 
The powers that be have talked about ways to speed up the game for TV and now they're talking about introducing a delay for a quick pep talk? It's works in team sports but they're time limited so comparisons are invalid.
 
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