Tennis Rules and “The Code” – 2021 Q4

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 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: In recent doubles match my partner called a ball out prior to it landing. But when it surprised her and landed on the baseline, she played it. Our opponents missed their shot and protested that the out call my partner made and then playing the ball as good was confusing and led to their miss. Who should win that point?

Answer: Since an out call was made and reversed, item 12 of The Code comes into play, which states that when a call is reversed “the point goes to the opponent and is not replayed.” Your opponents had the right to stop play and claim the point as theirs.

Question: In the single finals of a club championship, I called a double bounce on my opponent. He claimed that he was the only one who could make that call, said it was not a double bounce, and took the point, as I had not played what I saw as a double bounce. Who was right?

Answer: Item 19 of The Code is very clear on this type of call, “Touches, hitting ball before it crosses net, invasion of opponent’s court, double hits, and double bounces … The opponent is not entitled to make these calls. The principle of giving the opponent the benefit of any doubt applies.” Your opponent was correct.

Question: My opponent’s first serve hit the let cord and rolled over onto my side of the court. The ball rolled less that a foot from the net into my court and I didn’t bother to go pick it up. We replayed the first serve and during the rally my opponent hit a drop shot that landed on top of the first ball near the net and bounced back into the net, unreturnable. I called for a let, but my opponent claimed it was his point. Was I correct in calling for a let, which is what we did after some discussion?

Answer: No, you may not call a let in this situation. Because you chose to leave the ball on the court, it became part of the court for that point and you accepted the risk of the ball in play bouncing off the stray ball. Per Rule 26, you are not entitled to a let for hindrance when the hindrance is something you caused.