In tennis, “carrying” refers to a player catching or letting the ball come to rest on his racket. The United States Tennis Association falls all International Tennis Federation rules regarding carrying in competitive play. These rules provide a standard for tennis competition of all levels. The same rules apply to carrying in singles and doubles tennis and in men’s and women’s tennis.
Violations
USTA and ITF rules dictate that a player cannot deliberately catch or carry the tennis ball on her racket. If a player deliberately attempts to bring the ball to rest on her racket, she is carrying the ball. Players also cannot deliberately hit the ball twice consecutively with the racket. Rules officials can call these violations on a player’s serve, return or on any other shot during a point.
Deliberate vs. Accidental
USTA and ITF rules distinguish between deliberate and accidental carrying. A player only commits a violation if he deliberately carries the ball or deliberately hits the ball twice. If a player accidentally lets the ball come to rest briefly on her racket, or accidentally lets the ball hit her racket twice during one swing motion, she does not commit a violation.
Penalties
Rules officials will penalize any players who deliberately carry the ball. A player who carries, catches or hits the ball twice will lose the point. Accidental carrying does not result in a lost point.
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