Swing and a Miss!
During a match, the server tossed the ball and attempted to hit it and missed. Is this a fault?
Loretta Phillips, Sunday Women’s League Vice President
Yes. See Friend at Court, Part 1; ITF Rules of Tennis. 19. SERVICE FAULT. The service is a fault if: b. The server misses the ball when trying to hit it.
So Close And Yet?
My daughter was playing a 15U junior match at 1 Singles. The other team was ahead 7-6 and the score was 30-30. The other team won the next point making it 40-30. The player walked off the court saying she had won. My daughter told the player she agreed it was 40-30 and informed the player the match was not over. The opponent left the match anyway. On the scorecard I put down that the player retired the line and the final score became 9-7 (8-game pro set for 15U). We took the win and extra point to make the score 9-7. Is this correct?
Wendy Fee, Junior Leagues Vice President
Yes, retirement (R) is the correct choice when a line cannot complete a match that has been started, Junior Coordinator Handbook page 32. The system will auto-add enough games, to a score of “9,” including the bonus point to give the winner of a retired match the “win” on the original scorecard.
Stall Tactics
Per the Friend at Court handbook (section 29-a), players are allowed a two-minute break between sets and per the ALTA Adult Tennis Rules, players can take up to a 10-minute break between the second and third sets. We had a mixed doubles opponent announce she was taking her “rightful” 10-minute break after losing the first set. She walked off the court for 10+ minutes after losing the first set, grabbed a sandwich, chit-chatted, went to the bathroom, etc. Unfortunately, we weren’t sure what to do at the time. How do we enforce/address this while it’s happening? Are there any penalties or things we can do when an opponent does not follow the changeover rules (i.e. intentionally playing mind games and stalling/icing the match)?
Greg McAfee, Men’s League Vice President
You are correct, you’ll find the answer in USTA’s Friend at Court under ITF Rules of tennis number 29. The time allowed between sets is 120 seconds. ALTA utilizes item 29.d in allowing 10 minutes after the 2nd set. Now, what should you have done about it? Once the player announced that she wanted to take a 10-minute break, you should have insisted that she be ready to play by the end of two minutes or they would need to retire the match. Certainly, you can allow extra time in the name of good sportsmanship, but it was well within your right to claim the point if they blatantly failed to follow the “continues play” rules outlined above. These days, it’s easy to download or look up the rules on the ALTA website. Players should carry a copy of the ALTA and/or USTA rules in their tennis bag.
