Mid-match coaching is one of the things that has proved to be quite advantageous for tennis players while they are having a hard time on the court. Even though the players get to have a coach by their side during the match, it also is a little tricky because of the rules around the mid-match coaching. Which, incidentally, landed Naomi Osaka into trouble recently.

The former World No. 1 is returning from a pregnancy break so understandably, her rulebook might be a little rusty. Did you know that during the mid-match coaching, only the coach is allowed to speak and not the player? Well, even one of the greatest tennis players of all time did not know this, which got her into trouble at Indian Wells.

Naomi Osaka comes under fire for breaking a rule at Indian Wells 2024

In a recent interview, Naomi Osaka shared what her experience was like when she decided to utilize mid-match coaching. The Japanese sensation stated that she was unaware of the rule completely and that got her into trouble.

Osaka explained, “I got into trouble today because I didn’t really know the rule so I thought you could converse kind of. But apparently, the coach is the only one who can talk to you unless they go to the bathroom or there is a medical timeout. I do like it but I can see myself getting into a debate. So, I just have to watch myself.”

Well, even though having a coach may be helpful when you have a tough match going on, it’s hard not to be able to talk back to explain your point or ask for more.

This is not the first time Osaka was in hot water for having a coach talk to her during a match. A similar incident took place at the Brisbane International as well.

Not Osaka’s first run-in with mid-match coaching problem

During the Brisbane International tournament, Naomi Osaka shared how at the time when she wanted her team to give her some guidance for her match, it did not go in her favor. She shared, “I won’t probably do that again unless it’s like really close, maybe in the third set.”

She shared that talking to her team made her lose focus and she is the kind of person who really needs to stay focused because her mind wanders off quite often. Already nervous during her match, Osaka thought that coaching would help but it clearly didn’t!

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