Have you ever had a dispute with a fellow player over a call on the court that you couldn’t settle? Or have you ever wondered why a certain ruling was made during a match you were watching? Maybe you’re just curious about how some scenarios, from the common to the ridiculous, are resolved.
USTA Director of Officials, Richard Kaufman, is here to answer your questions. Each week, he will select a few submissions and supply the definitive rulings through a Q&A.
Have a question of your own? Click here to submit your question to The Final Word.
* Please note, due to the volume of emails Rich receives, he is not able to answer every email.
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Subject: Court Position
Is a receiver allowed to stand ANYWHERE on the court? I recently moved up to the service line, in fact, step on or over it because the serve was VERY short, and was told I had to stand behind the service line to receive.
Layne, St. Louis
KAUFMAN:
Players may not make motions that are meant to intentionally distract the opponent.
The receiver's partner may stand anywhere, even in the service box. Once the receiver's partner takes a position, he/she should remain there until the ball is struck. If the receiver's partner moves away before the ball is struck then it could be deemed that the only reason they took such a position was to hinder the server, and that is not allowed.
Waving your racket or stomping your feet is not permitted.
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Subject: Making the Right Call
We were in a 10-point tie breaker with the score at 6-8. During the next point, one of my opponents hit a very high lob that I was getting in position to hit back. However, the ball glanced off of a piece of the ceiling, whereupon I stopped play, announced that the ball had hit the ceiling, and claimed the point, making the score 7-8. My opponents immediately went ballistic and verbally attacked me at length, claiming that neither they nor my partner had seen the ball hit the ceiling, so I had to be incorrect. Our opponents refused to give us the point and proceeded to call the score as 8-6; they then served out the match, winning the last two points and the match. Should my partner and I have refused to play out the match when our opponents would not respect my call and give us the point?
Anne, Dayton, OH
KAUFMAN:
As dictated in The Code, that call is made by you, not your opponents.
Your last question is correct: you should not have given in to your opponents. Since you did, all points are played in good faith since you continued play based on their decision.
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Subject: Calling the Ball Out
While playing several doubles matches against an opponent who insists on using the call “ out” when he wants to warn(alert) his partner, who is receiving my return, that the ball may be out of the court , but is not certain. In such a case I would shout “bounce it” to alert my partner. This has occurred in at least three separate matches that we played against each other and it turned out that my return was inside the court in all instances. We have played a “let “or replayed the point since his partner returned the ball. I have requested that he not use the term “out”, but some term that is not as distracting, such as “bounce it”.
Do I have a right to ask my opponent to refrain from using his “out “call when he wants to alert his partner?
Paul
KAUFMAN:
First, despite what some people think, there is no rule that says you cannot say 'out' or other words of communication to your partner, especially when you are at the net and the ball is coming in your direction or the ball has not come close to landing on the court. And because such communication would invariably occur long before the ball has bounced, the claim that this could be mistaken for a line call is not really valid if everyone is paying attention. (Communicating by screaming or yelling is not permitted at any time and could be deemed a hindrance no matter when it occurs.) The only time confusion can occur is in the case when a player says 'out' or another form of communication to his/her partner standing at the line at the time when the ball bounces. One player is in the position to make a return of the ball and does so. In that case, saying "leave it" or "NO" would be preferable to saying 'out'. However, any word used when the ball lands on the ground or close to the ground when your partner hits the ball could be construed as a call. If a player yells "out” at the moment or close to the moment their partner played the ball, it could hinder the opponents. This is assuming that the players stopped play. If the players who may have been confused by the communication or call continue to play the point, they may not then claim the point due to hindrance after the entire point has been completed. If a player believes that they are truly hindered, they MUST stop.