The WTA is "experimenting with on-court coaching rules that already allow players to call a coach to the sideline once per set for a 90-second, mic’d-up pep talk that is broadcast to television viewers," and at this week's Bank of the West Classic, coaches "can also bring along an iPad," according to Tom Perrotta of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The tablets, reconfigured by SAP, will be "given to coaches during events and then must be returned, have screen settings for shade and sun, and cases that SAP produced with a 3-D printer that are supposed to keep them from overheating." WTA Chair & CEO Stacey Allaster said that coaches "can use them at six other tournaments this season and at more next year." Perrotta notes the ATP "doesn’t allow on-court coaching at men’s tournaments and has no plans to do so." It also "doesn’t compile Hawk-Eye data for its players or coaches, or make it easily accessible to media." ATP Dir of VP/Corporate Communications Simon Higson said that the tour is "reviewing how it uses Hawk-Eye data" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/5).
