Fritz Slams New Coaching Rule And Proposes 'Mics In Boxes' Alternative

Taylor Fritz gave an in-depth description of why he opposes the introduction of off-court coaching at an ATP Finals press conference.

Last month, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that off-court coaching would officially be allowed in certain situations after several trials on the ATP and WTA Tours in recent years.

Although the four Grand Slams, the ATP, and the WTA have some discretion about how to roll it out, general rules state that off-court coaching can be verbal or nonverbal through hand signals.

Off-court coaching is also permitted at the change of ends, between sets, and between points, provided the other player is not disturbed, especially when they are the server.

Proponents of the move believe it will increase transparency and stop some coaches from giving tactical and technical advice to players slyly, which is unfair to those who follow the rules.

However, the ITF's announcement did not receive a universally positive response. Fritz and Shapovalov were among the players who opposed the introduction of off-court coaching on social media.

In his press conference after beating Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals, Fritz said the one-on-one mental battle between players is part of what makes tennis so exciting and will be eroded by off-court coaching being freely allowed.

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Fritz thinks only general encouragement should be allowed from team members in the stands and believes the ITF got bullied into allowing off-court coaching from next year because of players and coaches not following the rules.

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