Tennis Rules and “The Code” – 2019 Q2

When the professionals play tennis, the chair umpire and lines people officiate the match using the official rules of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), of which the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is a member. The ITF rules can be found here. The USTA has its own handbook.

But when we play for fun or even competitively we don’t have officials to help us. Therefore, we should follow “The Code” to ensure that we are playing fairly.

Question: In a doubles match, our opponent served a severe slice wide to my partner, who is as quick as a gazelle. My partner was tracking it down when it crossed into the court next to us, where a player on the other court, swatted it back into our court. We called for a let, but our opponents denied it, claiming the player on the other court was a permanent fixture. What’s the right call here? Can a player be a permanent fixture?

Answer: Your opponents must have been studying the ITF Rules of Tennis. They are correct. A player on an adjacent court would be considered equivalent to a spectator and therefore according to rule 2 the player on an adjacent court is a “permanent fixture.” Rule 13 specifies that if a ball hits a permanent fixture after landing in the correct court, the point is awarded to the player who hit the ball.