preferring to learn to win on her own.  Therefore, one wondered at times if those players who opted out were at a disadvantage, albeit a voluntary one, when their opponents received advice from their coaches during the allowed match breaks.  The on-court player-coach chats were often broadcast on TV a few minutes later.  Sometimes, the conversations were in a foreign language which limited the number of fans who could follow the conversation.  At other times, one could hear very clearly what was worrying a player during the match which raises some interesting choices for players.  Would you really want your future opponents to hear what was bothering you in a match or what you felt you weren’t hitting well?  In fact, maybe someone watching a live match can relay the conversation to your opponent’s coach who mentions the comments at the next on-court chat.  So what would you do if you were a player competing today?   Although I appreciate the potential appeal for TV and fans, I remain against this innovation simply because it fundamentally alters the one-on-one character of the sport of singles tennis. 

Posted by TC at 09:50 AM |