June 24, 2022 TennisCompanion Five Point Friday

June 24, 2022

Five Point Friday

Here’s your roundup of the five most interesting things I’m enjoying or thinking about this week.

1.) ATP’s Rule Change

On Tuesday, the ATP announced they’ll trial ‘off-court’ coaching for the second half of the season. The test will start the week of July 11, 2022, and includes the US Open. The ATP cited alignment with the WTA and an enhanced fan experience as reasons for the trial, with specific rules players must follow that I’ve linked below.

Off-court coaching will be permitted under the following conditions:

  • Coaches must sit in the tournament’s designated coach seats
  • Coaching (verbal and non-verbal) is allowed only if it does not interrupt play or create any hindrance to the opponent
  • Verbal coaching is permitted only when the player is at the same end of the court
  • Non-verbal coaching (hand signals) is permitted at any time
  • Verbal coaching may consist of a few words and/or short phrases (no conversations are permitted)
  • Coaches may not speak to their player when the player leaves the court for any reason
  • Penalties and fines will still apply for abuse or misuse of the above coaching conditions

2.) Serena & Ons Winning Start

Serena Williams took the court with Ons Jabeur in doubles at the Rothesay International Eastbourne for the first time since retiring in the first round of Wimbledon last year. The pair won their first two matches, making it to the semifinals, but withdrew from the tournament because Ons suffered from a right knee injury.

3.) Wimbledon Preview Videos

Easily one of the most scenic tournaments of the season, I always get a kick out of watching Wimbledon’s preview videos. Here are three of my favorites so far, including their ‘The Stage Awaits’ animation celebrating 100 years since the opening of Centre Court.

4.) Kohlschreiber Retires

After 17 years on tour, 38-year-old Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany announced that he’d retire after Wimbledon. Philipp reached a career-high ranking of 16, won 8 titles, had a record of 478/387, and earned $13,724,265. For the first time in his career, he failed to qualify for Wimbledon’s main draw, so he was playing qualifiers and lost in the second round to Mikhail Kukushkin.

5.) Fila Speedserve Energized

Announced Wednesday, Fila introduced their newest shoe, the Speedserve Energized, an evolution of their popular Axilus 2. The shoe offers a glove-like fit with a molded sockliner, Energized rubber for responsive cushioning, and a herringbone outsole tread pattern for all-court performance.

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If you have a moment, I’d love to hear your feedback. Which topic is your favorite? What would you like to see more or less of each week?

Share your thoughts in the comments below and have a great weekend.

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