Tennis can be a lonely sport for singles players, who often have to make their own calls. Without a partner to help, tennis players must given the benefit of any doubt to their opponent, and use other rules of sportsmanship and etiquette to navigate their matches. This can be especially onerous when there are no officials present. Knowing the rules for oft-arising disputes can help you play a fair match.
Changing a Call
If a player fails to see a ball land in or out, or hesitates to make call, she must give the point to her opponent. If a player makes an out call, then realizes the ball was good, she may change her call if she put her next shot in play, and a let is played. If her shot was a weak sitter and her opponent would have likely won the point, she should give the point to her opponent.
Long Serves
When the server serves a ball that is obviously out, the receiver may not practice his return; he must let the ball go back to the fence or hit it into the net to allow the server to make his second serve without unreasonable delay. Hitting such long serves back over the net is considered unsportsmanlike and a form of gamesmanship.
Help With Calls
If a player cannot make a call because she did not see the ball land in or out, she may ask her opponent to make the call. If the opponent saw the ball land, she must make the correct call. If the player who is asked for assistance did not see the ball land, the player who asked for help must concede the point to the opponent.
Opposite Side
A player may only make two calls on the opposite side of the net during a singles match. He may call a foot fault after giving the server a warning, and he may call a ball that hits the opponent's racket, then touches the ground before it goes over the net. A player may question a call on the other side of the net but may only do so once (for that point) and then must accept the opponent's call.
Ready
A receiver must play to the reasonable pace of the server, which is considered 10 to 12 seconds from the time the previous point ended. If a player is not ready to receive serve and the server serves, the receiver must make no attempt to play the ball. If the receiver makes an attempt at the ball, she is considered to have been ready and may not call a let.
Breaks
Players have 90 seconds during the change of sides before they must begin the next game. After the first set, either player may take a two-minute break, even if the set ended on an even score and there is no changeover. If players split sets, they may take five to 10 minutes between the end of the second set and start of the third, based on the rules governing that league or tournament match set by the hosting organization. These time rules are set to prevent stalling and keep the match moving.
Member Comments