[ad_1]
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has urged world tennis to reaffirm his stance on coaches after a storm of controversy in the US women's final.
September 8, 2018; New York, NY, USA;
Serena Williams of the United States talks to the referee after violating the code for her training while playing against Japan's Naomi Osaka in the Women's Day 13 final of the USTA Open Tennis Tournament Billie Jean King. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY HUI Sports
Player training is banned during the Grand Slam games, but Serena Williams was exasperated when chair-umpire Carlos Ramos gave her a code violation warning after her coach was beaten by Naomi Osaka.
Some actors and experts criticized the rule as being difficult to control, improperly applied and highly subjective, and called for the lifting of the ban.
Williams then tied a point for breaking a racket and a match after calling Ramos a "thief" in separate incidents after the training violation.
But Tiley refused to criticize the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
"It was all about coaching," Tiley told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.
"Sport really has to do with coaching … are we going to have coaching? Are not we going to have coaching? What will it look like?
"Sport has to come together and solve the problem.
"Once everything is settled, we do not have the problem."
The Australian Open featured as the Asia-Pacific Grand Slam, and Tiley was excited about the effect the Osaka triumph could have on attracting Japanese fans in January.
Osaka became the first Grand Slam winner in his country, while compatriot Kei Nishikori was also very successful in qualifying for the men's semifinals.
"We all see how Japanese fans flock to see Kei Nishikori," said Tiley.
"It's going to have a significant positive impact on our Open, on our fans."
Reportage by Ian Ransom; Edited by Sudipto Ganguly
Source link
