Tennis Rules and “The Code” – 2021 Q1

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. But when we play for fun or even competitively, we don’t usually have officials to help us. Therefore, we should follow “The Code” contained in the USTA’s “Friend At Court” to ensure that we are playing fairly.

Question: My opponent broke a racquet string on her serve. I returned the ball but she didn’t play it and called a let. I told her I thought she was wrong, but not having the rules easily accessible, I gave her the let. Who was right?

Answer: You were right. If your strings break during a serve or any other time during a point, it is not a let for anybody. Even if it makes a distracting noise. You must play out the point if you break a string.