"This is coming from a guy who lost to Nadal only because Nadal is mentally stronger, huge props to Fritz" - Tennis fans react to Taylor Fritz calling in-match coaching trial 'a dumb rule'

American No. 1 Taylor Fritz has spoken out against the trial allowing in-match coaching on the ATP tour, calling it 'a dumb rule.' While some have shown support for the rule that allows coaches to communicate with players during matches, Fritz is completely against it, and his comments earned praise from many fans who echoed his thoughts.

Fritz believes that in-match coaching negates a player's ability to 'figure it out on his own,' something that sets tennis apart. The 24-year-old opined that the mental aspect of the sport is as crucial as the physical demands and the new rule takes away tennis' appeal as an individual sport.

"[It is a dumb rule] Because tennis is an individual sport. Why are we making it not an individual sport? A huge part of tennis is, in my mind, like as tennis is as much mental as it is physical, and a big part of it is you need to be figuring it out on the court for yourself. You need to be the one figuring it out," Taylor Fritz said.

Fritz also revealed that he does not get coached during matches, even though it is legal on the ATP tour now. He said that his coach Michael Russell has not spoken to him during a match even once since the coaching rule change was implemented.

Many tennis fans were in full agreement with Fritz's comments on the issue. One fan lauded him for holding such a stance despite losing the Wimbledon quarterfinal to Rafael Nadal because he wasn't mentally stronger than the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

"This is coming from a guy who lost to nadal only because nadal is mentally stronger. Huge props to fritz," read a tweet.

Fritz further expressed that he 'hates' the new rule as it allows players to receive advice and tips from coaches while themselves not being mentally strong and analytically capable of finding solutions in a match.

"I think it's ridiculous that you can be mentally not there, not good analytically, not good at kind of working through things and coming up with strategies, and you can have someone tell you what to do. I hate it," Fritz said.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to Taylor Fritz's comments on in-match coaching:

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Taylor Fritz beats Nick Kyrgios, one win away from Cincinnati Open quarterfinals

Western & Southern Open - Day 4

Taylor Fritz is looking in good touch at the 2022 Cincinnati Open. The 11th seed backed up his 6-1, 6-1 win over Sebastian Baez with another easy 6-3, 6-2 victory over the in-form Nick Kyrgios in the Round of 32.

Fritz will face sixth seed Andrey Rublev for a place in the quarterfinals. The American, currently ranked No. 13, is already enjoying his best season on tour and is closing in on the top 10 in the rankings.

Fritz came into the Cincinnati Open on the back of losses in the Round of 16 at both the Citi Open and the Canadian Open, going down to Dan Evans on both occasions. A good run in Cincinnati will certainly take him closer to a top-10 seeding for the US Open, where his best result to date is a pair of third-round appearances in 2018 and 2020. Last year, he made a second-round exit at the New York Major.