RULE SCHOOL
We all know the “Golden Rule.” Our parents, our schools, our spiritual leaders all say, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Tennis, while often being fiercely competitive, also relies on the goodwill and cooperation of the players to ensure that the match is fair and encompasses good sportsmanship. Not unlike the 10 Commandments, there are a few simple rules and guidelines that can help players through the minefield of the rules of tennis. 1. Warm up is for the benefit of all players. Getting a feel for the speed of the court, where the sun or wind is, warming up your muscles – all this can be accomplished if the players work together, hitting medium paced balls to each other. A 5 or 10 minute warm up goes by far too quickly if players are chasing balls that land outside the court. When you practice your serves, catch the serve from the opponent and serve it back – you’ll get in twice as many within the warm up time.
2. All points played in good faith stand. So, if the net was too low, or a player had dampeners in the wrong place on their strings, or the wrong person served, the points still stand, but from that point forward, the correction takes place.
3. A player calls all shots that are aimed at, or land on, his or her side of the net. A double bounce can only be called by the player receiving that ball, even though it may look like a double bounce to the opponent. A lob that hits the ceiling is called by the player receiving that ball, even if it hit the ceiling on the other side of the court. A ball hit through the net is called by the person receiving that ball. This includes line calls…. a ball landing on the court will look different when viewed from various angles. Most players are taught to watch the ball, whereas line officials anticipate where the ball might land and have their eye on the outside of the line… making the ball prove that it landed out before calling “out.” It is more important to see where the ball lands on the court than where it leaves the court on the bounce… The Golden Rule…..if you can’t see a space between the ball and the line, you should play the ball as good. Players should also call against themselves if they see their own ball land out but the opponent is giving them the benefit of the doubt – with the exception of first serves.
fixtures include fences, ceilings, benches, curtains, garbage cans and scoring devices attached to the net, or on-court officials. Foul shots are when the player touches the net, or the ball touches the player, or his/ her clothing, or when contact with the ball is made in the opponent’s court (except for a ball that has bounced back over the net on a drop shot with spin/wind). Players are required to call foul shots upon themselves, the opponent cannot do so.
5. Hindrance Issues may not be caused by either player – a ball or ball can rolling onto the court. They should be called immediately and the point is replayed. Involuntary hindrances caused by a player (hat falls off, ball drops out of pocket) are dealt with by the opponent only calling a let for the first hindrance, with a loss of point if anything like that happens again (doesn’t have to be the same hindrance). Intentional hindrances (shouting or waving a racquet in the opponent’s face) result in an immediate loss of point. 6. Most errors are corrected immediately. If the player serves out of turn, if the serve is from the wrong court, if players forget to change ends….correct immediately. The only exception is in doubles if the receiving players have switched halves of the court – they must remain in that position to the end of the game, then return to the original order they set at the beginning of the set. We wish you a wonderful summer of tennis! Rules of the Court (Tennis Canada’s Rulebook) can be downloaded from www.tennisbc.org officiating rules. Hard copies are available at Tennnis BC’s office for $17.50
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For more information on rules or tennis officiating, please email Lois Ker at officiating@tennisbc.org
4. The ball is in play from the moment it is successfully served until it has bounced twice, landed outside the perimeter of the court, hit a permanent fixture, or a player has committed a foul shot. Permanent
MATCHPOINT | SUMMER 2014
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