Wimbledon Open To On-court Coaching Discussion

Philip Brook, the chairman of Wimbledon said, the tournament is open to a discussion around its approach to on-court coaching.



During the US Open final, Serena Williams was given a code violation for coaching, which resorted to accusations of “sexism” over how players are punished.

Brook, who watched the final in New York said it is high time we had "an adult conversation" about the matter.

"What we want to learn from others that have conducted trials is: “convince us why it is such a nice idea,'"

"It is a very confusing situation for everybody.

"Wimbledon and the rest think it is time for a mature conversation across the sport to see where it leads us."

On-court coaching is not allowed at Grand Slam but at WTA Tour-level events, while the US Open allowed coaches to talk to their players during qualifying and junior matches.

Brook said tennis could do a better job of "working as a team to act in the best interests" of tennis.

"We [Wimbledon] are not the easiest of people to deal with,"

"If people say, 'Let’s all vote for coaching, it's best for the sport'. We will say no to it, but if others in tennis say we want to do it and they have convincing reasons, then maybe Wimbledon should fit in."

What are the rules?

The incident with Williams raised debate on the consistency of the coaching rules, which state:

• Players can not be coached during a Grand Slam match (warm-up Inconclusive). Any form of communications, audible or visible, between a coach and a player may be construed as coaching.

• At WTA Tour-level events, on-court coaching is permitted.

• In US Open qualifying rounds between points, coaching from the stands is allowed.

Patrick Mouratoglou, Williams' coach, revealed after the US Open that he was trying to send signals to her, but Serena said she “she didn’t comprehend what he was saying.”

After being punished for racquet smashing

coaching, she labelled Carlos Ramos, the umpire, a "thief" and a "liar".

The American target was to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles against Osaka and Brook said the pressure on her was "greater than before".

"People asked me, 'Would that be possible at Wimbledon'? My first reaction is maybe, but in real sense I do wonder whether [it was] the uniqueness of the circumstances in New York,"

"I think Serena was under pressure, I think the umpire was doing his job and what happened, happened. It was not a nice scene for the sport."