When a tennis player touches the net during a point, the point is awarded to the opponent. That’s a well-known rule. At the Canadian Open, tennis fans and tennis players learned of a new tennis rule and they are not happy about it.

In his match against Milos Raonic, Frances Tiafoe touched the net but the still won the point. The umpire clarified to the players that if the part of the net that’s touched is outside the singles court, it’s not held against the player touching the net.

Milos Raonic wasn’t happy about the call saying, “I don’t have faith that they were being completely honest, but it is what it is. I think they just handled it badly.” Raonic went on to win the match in three sets.

The umpire initially gave the point to Raonic before backtracking. He tried to explain the rule to players but Raonic wasn’t satisfied. The supervisor was called on to the court and he agreed with the umpire’s decision. The umpire explained the rule to the fans but the Canadian crowed blood him.

Iga Swiatek was recently seen practicing with her mouth taped. This raised the obvious question – why would a tennis player train with the mouth taped?

Taping the mouth encourages breathing through the nose. Nasal breathing produces nitric oxide, improving performance on the court and recovery after the practice.

Her fitness coach Maciej Ryszczuk devised this method to improve Swiatek’s endurance. Swiatek explained, “It’s harder to breathe when you’re only breathing with your nose, and it’s easier for my heart rate to increase. I think it has something to do with endurance, but I’m not going to explain it to you appropriately because I’m not an expert.”

Iga Swiatek admitted that she had difficulty understanding why her coaches and trainers ask her to do certain things. She has been practicing with her mouth taped for a long time.