Tennis is one of the oldest and most prestigious sports to ever exist. The sport lacks a few things which are visible in other sports, and one of them being coaching during the match. The coaches cannot guide the players during the points in between the games, and Eugenie Bouchard is the newest member to join the group of players protesting this.
Stefanos Tsitsipas expressed his emotions regarding the rule on Twitter, and Eugenie Bouchard has agreed with him. The Canadian replied to his tweet speaking about this matter.
Totally agree https://t.co/nbIwNTmNMd
— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) July 18, 2021
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Eugenie Bouchard agrees with Stefanos’ point
The players on court are not allowed to ask any questions or take any guidance from their coach in between the points. However, other sports like badminton, soccer, and basketball allow their coaches to interact with the players. Tsitsipas wants the introduction of such coaching in tennis as well, especially in between the points.
The umpire gave Tsitsipas an on-court code violation during his quarterfinal game against Filip Krajinovic at Hamburg when he took instructions from his coach. The Greek player violated the rules on court and later took to Twitter to express his discomfort with the rule.
This is not the first time that the Greek national has violated the rule. He had done something similar when he was playing against Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open earlier this year. Eugenie Bouchard, however, is in agreement with the World No. 4.
Tsitsipas is unhappy with the loophole in the system
Even though the rule exists in tennis, players often take on-court instructions from their coaches. The umpire punishes those who are caught, whereas a majority of them do not receive any punishment.
It is also a very basic truth that the vast majority of tennis coaches are actually coaching on court, despite the rules. Occasionally the players are punished for it, but for the most part they are not.
— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@steftsitsipas) July 18, 2021
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“It is also a very basic truth that the vast majority of tennis coaches are actually coaching on court, despite the rules. Occasionally the players are punished for it, but for the most part they are not,” said Tsitsipas in his tweet.
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Stefanos has made a very valid point in his tweet, as other sports allow such coaching during the game. It is acceptable for the player to receive some form of guidance during his game. Since tennis is a slow game and the points are crucial at every stage, the authorities might need to find a better solution for this problem.
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Read More: “I’ll Get You a Coach”: Stefanos Tsitsipas to Nick Kyrgios as He Says His Idea Is “Terrible”