Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have already disagreed over on-court coaching as ITF introduce new tennis rule
The new tennis off court coaching rule has certainly divided opinion among fans and players.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that coaches will be permitted to give guidance to their players either verbally or via hand signals during matches from the start of 2025.
This puts a new spin on the game which is known for being an individual sport and players having to find solutions to problems entirely on their own.
Coaching during matches has been a topic of discussion for several years, and two of the game’s greatest players previously expressed different views on the matter.
What did Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic say about coaching during matches?
Many have said their say on coaching taking place during tennis matches, and some fans have voiced their unhappiness with the new 2025 off court-coaching rule.
In response the ITF have said they implemented the new coaching rule will help to make tennis “fairer and, potentially, more entertaining”.
There was a brief period on the WTA Tour where on court coaching was allowed, whereby coaches could enter the court during a changeover and communicate with their player.
Both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic once spoke on the subject, and shared different points of view. “I really hope it doesn’t (enter). I really do’, said Federer back in 2018. “If it does happen, hopefully after I’m done playing.
Rafael Nadal of Spain (r) talks with his coach Carlos Moya during the match against Zizou Bergs of Belgium at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2024 …
Photo by Antonietta Baldassarre/Insidefoto/LightRocket via Getty Images
“I really don’t think it’s necessary. I don’t think it’s fair, maybe necessarily, because not everybody can afford a coach. It’s just not right.
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“We’ll see girlfriends walking out, we’ll see parents walking out. It’s not going to be pretty, you know, (smiling). It just won’t. It will look amateur‑like in my opinion. Yeah, I hope we’ll stay as far away from that idea.”
Djokovic saw things from the other point of view, saying back at the 2023 US Open: “I would want to see, honestly, you know, a possibility of — I’m actually supportive of the on-court coaching or headset communication, whatever ways of getting more coaching. I think it’s good. I think it’s good for the audience. It’s good for the player.”
What does the 2025 off court coaching rule change entail?
The off-court coaching rules mean coaches can communicate with their players either verbally or with hand signals, except whi
le a point is being played.
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