Anyone who has tuned into a match on the WTA Tour in the last decade will be familiar with the concept of on-court coaching in tennis, where in a moment of need a player calls for their coach to come on court and provide some tactical or emotional support. There’s already been plenty of debate about whether this is good for tennis – some say it provides insight and entertainment in equal measure, while others see it as a betrayal of tennis’ core value as an individual sport.

While the US Open and Australian Open are reportedly keen on the idea of allowing on-court coaching, it remains banned at all four Grand Slam tournaments, and a version of it has only ever been trialled in the men’s game at the experimental Next Gen Finals. On this week’s Tennis Podcast, presenters Catherine Whitaker (Amazon Prime Video, Eurosport) and David Law (BBC 5 Live, BT Sport) debate whether this inconsistency is harmful for players.

“There is definitely the potential for on-court coaching to damage a player’s chances at Grand Slams,” says Law. “It isn’t guaranteed – look at Caroline Wozniacki. She has her father come on every single set and yet she managed to win at the Australian Open without that. I think she’s very strong mentally. Different players are going to react differently depending on their mental and strategic skill sets. But I do feel that it’s absolutely possible that a player could end up treating their coach as a crutch, as someone they can’t do without mid-match.”