Australian Open will be the first tournament grand slam at which Iga ¦wiatek will work with coach Wim Fissette. Poland the tennis player and her staff will be among the first to have the opportunity to benefit from the changes introduced by the organizers during this competition.
The Australian Open will provide coaches with special “pens”. This will be a small revolution
What exactly is this about? According to “The Age”, in this year's tournament, coaches will have the option of sitting in a special “pen” located on the court. The organizers hope that this will refresh the tournament formula. These are platforms with four seats for the staff players and female players. They will be placed in the corners of the court. Using these places will be optional. They will not be available everywhere. The “pens” are to be equipped with, among others: a special screen where you can check statistics on an ongoing basis.
“We tested it this week and the coaches were skeptical at first, but then they sat there and said, 'This is great,'” said Craig Tiley, director of the Australian Open.
In his opinion, the vast majority of trainers will use this solution. – You have a great position to observe every point of your player – he added.
Interactions between players and coaches will therefore become more frequent and more visible. – The player will come to get a towel and you can talk to him. The result is that after almost every point you can give hints if you want, he noted. Sponsors will also be able to take advantage of the extra space – and according to Tiley, coaches can benefit from it as well.
The new “pens” will be available to coaches and players only on the three main courts of the Australian Open.