Lindsay Davenport has been left thoroughly intrigued after Ben Shelton’s Canadian Open match just last week, but not for what the player was doing.
Instead, it was what his coach and father, Bryan Shelton, was doing up in the stands.
After all, in a unique diversion from normal broadcasting, he was mic’d up so that people from home could hear a selection of his conversations with his son mid-match.
This was done during Ben Shelton’s win over Brandon Nakashima, as he came from a set down to win in a dramatic third-set tiebreaker.
He has since beaten Flavio Cobolli in the same fashion to reach the Canadian Open quarter-finals.
Lindsay Davenport loved hearing Bryan Shelton mic’d up during Ben Shelton’s match
Davenport, speaking on the Tennis Channel Live podcast, remained enthralled with this pioneering piece of media.
And, whilst previewing yesterday’s match against the Italian, she outlined what she found particularly ‘fascinating’ about Shelton’s discourse with his coach.
The three-time Grand Slam winner stated: “So I mean we talk about the power of Shelton… we also have to talk about the variety. He talked about it a bit with the backhand slice, but all the options he has with his serve.
“It was fascinating watching him play the other night with the microphone with his dad, Bryan, telling him all these different locations, how to mix it up, like, which one to use. I love that he has options.
“And so a player out there, even if Cobolli’s on one serve, Ben has the ability to mix it up and make the other one. Love the way Ben fought against Nakashima as well. I tend to lean towards him. How often can Cobolli pin him in the back end corner? To beat Shelton, you’ve got to make him be hitting, I don’t know, over 55% backhand on court. Not easy to do.”
Ben Shelton has already previewed his next match against Alex de Minaur, where two contrasting styles clash for a spot in the semi-final.
Should coaches be allowed to speak to their players mid-match?
Ever since the overarching rule came into play at the start of this year, coaches have been given free rein to speak to their players as and when they see fit.
As such, the tactical landscape of the sport altered dramatically, removing some of the solo element that singles tennis previously brought.
There are many who pushed for this change, while a handful of notable names have discredited it as a way for less-intelligent players to compete.
And, those in the latter camp do have a point.
After all, before the change was made, tennis truly was a sport like no other.
Players could do all the tactical research beforehand with their coaching team, but once they went out onto the court, it was just them and their opponent, locked in battle. Whoever had the greatest mental strength and personal tactical insight often came out on top.
Nowadays, that unique facet of the sport has been removed, making for new mid-match tweaks that massively impact results.
There are positives and negatives, but nobody can deny the landmark impact it has had on how players can approach matches.
