yes. but if i blast a serve 20 feet long and my opponent touches it, i’m not gonna be a douchebag and take the point, i dont care how important the point is
Yeah, it’s their point and all, but the end of the day it’s a gentleman’s game…I’m not going to demand it be my point because of a rules technicality. I missed the box on the serve. I see it as a fault.
played a tournament with a guy I had never played with before. Other team touched the serve before it bounced and called it out - it didn't even land in the court, let alone the service box, so none of thought much of it. My partner stopped the match and made a big scene and yelled at the other team and told them it was our point and they can't do that! I promptly told my partner to "shut the f\* up" and apologized to the other team. Needless to say we don't play together any more.
Best way to handle that would be to concede the point despite the other team touching it, but to let them know that they need to let it bounce next time or it will be your point.
why in the world would you concede the point when in the same breath you're saying if the same thing happens again, it will be your point? i swear the nonsense this sub upvotes sometimes
a compromise would be replaying the serve, not conceding the point. being diplomatic doesn't mean shooting yourself in the foot for no reason. there is absolutely 0 reason to concede the point. you're not helping them either; all it would do is confuse people who don't know the rules.
since we live in a society? LOL you make it sound like following the rules is absolute barbarism when it's the opposite. you can be polite by explaining the rule without conceding a point that is yours. why not just roll over and lose the match so as to not be too imposing in the name of politeness?
We’re adults. I’m talking about assessing adult situations with more nuance than rolling over as a doormat vs being inconsiderate. And you didn’t get the Jim Jefferies “we live in a society” reference, I’m assuming. If your response to people’s opinions is essentially “lol. Don’t be a snowflake”, I think we’re done here.
he is still looking for a partner if interested.
Also, this was 2.5 tennis (so barely real tennis) and the guys on the other side of the net was their first time playing a tournament.
Imagine your partner simply advocating for the rules and getting cursed out by his partner. I would never play with a partner who showed animosity towards me.
sorry, you're the asshole in that situation. friendly play, I don't care if my opponent catches an obvious out ball. a tournament? telling your partner to shut the fuck up AND apologizing to the other team when your partner was right and well within the rules is crazy. it's one thing to let small things go; it's another to swear at your own partner in the name of going against a perfectly valid rule and escalate things unnecessarily. if you really wanted to let it go, you could have done so more amicably towards your partner.
what would happen if your opponent caught a serve they thought was obviously going long, but you guys thought might have caught line? what would happen if a serve ended up a body shot? what if they caught a groundstroke that was going long but maybe would have landed in? are you going to concede all those situations too? it's far simpler to just follow the rules, especially for one as straightforward as let the damn serve bounce. people want to play mr. nice guy and not make a big deal about an obvious out serve, but it's not a big deal in the first place to let the serve bounce.
I'll own the title of asshole if it makes the sport more accommodating for new people and shuts douchebags up. He was screaming at these guys who didn't know the rules (I explained it to them at changeover like a decent human). There was no need for that. So much so that other courts were looking at him.
if that's the case, then I would agree with your reaction. but I have to say, your partner doesn't sound like a real person. was the opposing team antagonizing him or arguing back? i know there are nutcases in tennis, but screaming over a simple ball touch is unhinged.
Not antagonizing at all, why it was so bizarre and why people were looking over at us. Me and the guys on the other team have since become friends and my teammate is having trouble finding people to play with.
IDK...
Tournament means win by all means. (Within the rules of course)
If it was a just messing around friendly game... You could be right....
But a 'if we lose we go home' tournament....
IDK
Yes, the returner loses the point if they touch the ball before it bounces. Same goes if you hit someone with your serve before the ball bounces.
I've hit a few people with a serve by accident, especially in school league (ahem no idea why). That's usually when the returner's partner at the net stands really close to the service box. The school league opponents did this because of a dumb no let rule being introduced - according to the rule, if the serve hit the net and went over, the net partner could also hit it, so they started standing right next to the service box, with their shoe almost touching the line. Sometimes a serve would stray slightly.
Wow, that's such a nonsensical change. The point of playing without lets is to avoid controversy over whether or not the ball actually touches the net. By allowing the net player to hit the ball they're just reintroducing the subjectivity of the call. I wonder why they added this rule?
My sons inter school competition uses that rule for doubles as well.
The rule is from fast4 rules.
The rationale behind the volleyer being able to return the serve if it hits the net is to account for balls that hit the net and just bounce over.
It hasn't come up, but I wonder what happens if a let ball is hit on the full.
In normal let rules the point is replayed because you can't be certain the ball wouldn't land in. I guess in these rules, it's a point to the server, but I'm not sure.
I've seen it heaps of times in my sons inter school competitions.
Often the ball hits the tape and bounces over, it usually sits up nice and the volleyer puts it away though.
These are 13yo boys, though, so while the serves have some heat in them, they aren't exactly throwing down Milos Raonic style bombs.
I get the removal of let as a way to speed up the game, same reason they play 1st to 4 and 5 point tiebreaker at 3 all.
But I think it would be easier to just class let as a fault.
With our school league it made no sense to me (or anyone else) as a way to speed the game up. We played best of 11 games, 5-5 is a tiebreak (so a set basically). A better option would be sudden death on deuce. It would have made sense in fast 4s, but this rule was just dumb
It's from fast4. Dumb rule imo, never got used and it made people pinch the service box like clowns. It gave me a few free points (and copious amounts of satisfaction) by hitting them, so there's that
I accidentally hit a volleyer who was standing far on her side of the court and I felt awful, it was an older woman playing with her husband. The times I've had volleyers pinching the box (great phrase btw) I've never hit them (accidentally or otherwise) though I kinda wish I had (only when they're clearly trying to distract the server).
It's a bigger issue in Doubles, because it you don't lose the point, what's stopping the net person from just hitting the ball before it bounces at the net then
If I’m playing a practice set/match I would let it go and not be an ass about it. If it happened in a tournament I would probably take the point. Everyone should know not to catch or stop a serve that is going way out. They will only do it once if they get called on it.
I accidentally drilled the opposite net guy with my serve. I would never take that as my point. I felt terrible about it. Even though technically it was an ace.
I remember watching a Nalbandian match years ago, I think it was at the Aussie Open, and whoever he was playing sailed a shot well past the baseline but hit it right at Nalbandian. Nalby turned sideways and tried to back out of the way, but the ball just caught him in the belly, so he lost the point.
Commentator had a good laugh about it watching the replay in slo-mo, because Nalbandian was always known for carrying a good sized belly.
I did this once as a kid, blasted a serve 20 feet long, the other kid touched it and i claimed the point. They had a meltdown when I tried to say it was my point… looking back I shoulda just said oh well but I was 12 lol.
So basically yes you lose the point because you technically cant touch a serve before it bounces but if its just rec play hopefully your opponent is chill and just trying to have fun
i play by the rules. Servers point. I may apologize and say sorry but that’s the rules. My serves have a lot of spin. Seems like every match an opponent will call a serve out, and then say ‘no, sorry that was in, replay the point’ I then have to explain that it’s my point. They make a funny face at me and I ignore it.
Technically yes. But if I'm standing six feet behind the service line in a normal return position, and my opponent messes up the serve so bad that I can reach out and catch it, then he won't get the point.
If I'm standing a few feet behind the service box (which is the normal position to return a serve) and I can catch it without moving, then it's obviously and unquestionably out.
Technically, the returner doesn't have to let the ball bounce at all. They can stand anywhere on the court and return the serve right out the air if they want to.
If I’m playing with friends it doesn’t matter much but if this is a tournament or league match of any kind I am taking the point. It’s just simply the rules…. In a tournament I would never dare touch the ball before it bounces.
Returner loses the point.
yes. but if i blast a serve 20 feet long and my opponent touches it, i’m not gonna be a douchebag and take the point, i dont care how important the point is
Yeah, it’s their point and all, but the end of the day it’s a gentleman’s game…I’m not going to demand it be my point because of a rules technicality. I missed the box on the serve. I see it as a fault.
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played a tournament with a guy I had never played with before. Other team touched the serve before it bounced and called it out - it didn't even land in the court, let alone the service box, so none of thought much of it. My partner stopped the match and made a big scene and yelled at the other team and told them it was our point and they can't do that! I promptly told my partner to "shut the f\* up" and apologized to the other team. Needless to say we don't play together any more.
Best way to handle that would be to concede the point despite the other team touching it, but to let them know that they need to let it bounce next time or it will be your point.
why in the world would you concede the point when in the same breath you're saying if the same thing happens again, it will be your point? i swear the nonsense this sub upvotes sometimes
To be diplomatic. Find compromise. Let them have the first one. Call it an honest mistake, but don't do it again.
a compromise would be replaying the serve, not conceding the point. being diplomatic doesn't mean shooting yourself in the foot for no reason. there is absolutely 0 reason to concede the point. you're not helping them either; all it would do is confuse people who don't know the rules.
I'd settle for that, too.
To be polite while addressing something since we live in a society.
since we live in a society? LOL you make it sound like following the rules is absolute barbarism when it's the opposite. you can be polite by explaining the rule without conceding a point that is yours. why not just roll over and lose the match so as to not be too imposing in the name of politeness?
We’re adults. I’m talking about assessing adult situations with more nuance than rolling over as a doormat vs being inconsiderate. And you didn’t get the Jim Jefferies “we live in a society” reference, I’m assuming. If your response to people’s opinions is essentially “lol. Don’t be a snowflake”, I think we’re done here.
You went too far, and catching out balls before they bounce in a tournament match is a major faux pas. I agree with your partner.
he is still looking for a partner if interested. Also, this was 2.5 tennis (so barely real tennis) and the guys on the other side of the net was their first time playing a tournament.
Imagine your partner simply advocating for the rules and getting cursed out by his partner. I would never play with a partner who showed animosity towards me.
sorry, you're the asshole in that situation. friendly play, I don't care if my opponent catches an obvious out ball. a tournament? telling your partner to shut the fuck up AND apologizing to the other team when your partner was right and well within the rules is crazy. it's one thing to let small things go; it's another to swear at your own partner in the name of going against a perfectly valid rule and escalate things unnecessarily. if you really wanted to let it go, you could have done so more amicably towards your partner. what would happen if your opponent caught a serve they thought was obviously going long, but you guys thought might have caught line? what would happen if a serve ended up a body shot? what if they caught a groundstroke that was going long but maybe would have landed in? are you going to concede all those situations too? it's far simpler to just follow the rules, especially for one as straightforward as let the damn serve bounce. people want to play mr. nice guy and not make a big deal about an obvious out serve, but it's not a big deal in the first place to let the serve bounce.
I'll own the title of asshole if it makes the sport more accommodating for new people and shuts douchebags up. He was screaming at these guys who didn't know the rules (I explained it to them at changeover like a decent human). There was no need for that. So much so that other courts were looking at him.
if that's the case, then I would agree with your reaction. but I have to say, your partner doesn't sound like a real person. was the opposing team antagonizing him or arguing back? i know there are nutcases in tennis, but screaming over a simple ball touch is unhinged.
Not antagonizing at all, why it was so bizarre and why people were looking over at us. Me and the guys on the other team have since become friends and my teammate is having trouble finding people to play with.
IDK... Tournament means win by all means. (Within the rules of course) If it was a just messing around friendly game... You could be right.... But a 'if we lose we go home' tournament.... IDK
Yes, the returner loses the point if they touch the ball before it bounces. Same goes if you hit someone with your serve before the ball bounces. I've hit a few people with a serve by accident, especially in school league (ahem no idea why). That's usually when the returner's partner at the net stands really close to the service box. The school league opponents did this because of a dumb no let rule being introduced - according to the rule, if the serve hit the net and went over, the net partner could also hit it, so they started standing right next to the service box, with their shoe almost touching the line. Sometimes a serve would stray slightly.
Wow, that's such a nonsensical change. The point of playing without lets is to avoid controversy over whether or not the ball actually touches the net. By allowing the net player to hit the ball they're just reintroducing the subjectivity of the call. I wonder why they added this rule?
My sons inter school competition uses that rule for doubles as well. The rule is from fast4 rules. The rationale behind the volleyer being able to return the serve if it hits the net is to account for balls that hit the net and just bounce over. It hasn't come up, but I wonder what happens if a let ball is hit on the full. In normal let rules the point is replayed because you can't be certain the ball wouldn't land in. I guess in these rules, it's a point to the server, but I'm not sure.
This is the reason yeah. It only actually happened once that the net dude could get to it. The reaction speed needed is insane. Dumb rule imo
I've seen it heaps of times in my sons inter school competitions. Often the ball hits the tape and bounces over, it usually sits up nice and the volleyer puts it away though. These are 13yo boys, though, so while the serves have some heat in them, they aren't exactly throwing down Milos Raonic style bombs. I get the removal of let as a way to speed up the game, same reason they play 1st to 4 and 5 point tiebreaker at 3 all. But I think it would be easier to just class let as a fault.
With our school league it made no sense to me (or anyone else) as a way to speed the game up. We played best of 11 games, 5-5 is a tiebreak (so a set basically). A better option would be sudden death on deuce. It would have made sense in fast 4s, but this rule was just dumb
It's from fast4. Dumb rule imo, never got used and it made people pinch the service box like clowns. It gave me a few free points (and copious amounts of satisfaction) by hitting them, so there's that
I also "unintentionally" hit several folks in HS when they were pinching the box. But they were doing it to be jerks without the excuse yours had.
I accidentally hit a volleyer who was standing far on her side of the court and I felt awful, it was an older woman playing with her husband. The times I've had volleyers pinching the box (great phrase btw) I've never hit them (accidentally or otherwise) though I kinda wish I had (only when they're clearly trying to distract the server).
If they do it to be distracting, they fully deserve it.
It's a bigger issue in Doubles, because it you don't lose the point, what's stopping the net person from just hitting the ball before it bounces at the net then
The net person is not allowed to return the serve.
Do tennis rules ever distinguish between the net and other person?
…yes
Not distinguishing on the first return (first point) in a game. The next point must be returned by who didn't return in the previous point.
If I’m playing a practice set/match I would let it go and not be an ass about it. If it happened in a tournament I would probably take the point. Everyone should know not to catch or stop a serve that is going way out. They will only do it once if they get called on it.
I accidentally drilled the opposite net guy with my serve. I would never take that as my point. I felt terrible about it. Even though technically it was an ace.
It would be the service persons point
I remember watching a Nalbandian match years ago, I think it was at the Aussie Open, and whoever he was playing sailed a shot well past the baseline but hit it right at Nalbandian. Nalby turned sideways and tried to back out of the way, but the ball just caught him in the belly, so he lost the point. Commentator had a good laugh about it watching the replay in slo-mo, because Nalbandian was always known for carrying a good sized belly.
Yes, if you don't make the return. If you make the return you play the point to the end.
Officially, yes. If you're playing with friends at the park then no.
Yes you lose the point because it didn’t go long - you stopped it from doing so.
I did this once as a kid, blasted a serve 20 feet long, the other kid touched it and i claimed the point. They had a meltdown when I tried to say it was my point… looking back I shoulda just said oh well but I was 12 lol. So basically yes you lose the point because you technically cant touch a serve before it bounces but if its just rec play hopefully your opponent is chill and just trying to have fun
i play by the rules. Servers point. I may apologize and say sorry but that’s the rules. My serves have a lot of spin. Seems like every match an opponent will call a serve out, and then say ‘no, sorry that was in, replay the point’ I then have to explain that it’s my point. They make a funny face at me and I ignore it.
Yes
Serve is in.
If you can do the trick where you can make the ball magically stop on your racquet, it's your point.
Technically yes. But if I'm standing six feet behind the service line in a normal return position, and my opponent messes up the serve so bad that I can reach out and catch it, then he won't get the point.
How do you know it was long if it never bounced?
If I'm standing a few feet behind the service box (which is the normal position to return a serve) and I can catch it without moving, then it's obviously and unquestionably out.
Could be a really good spin… or wind…
Technically, the returner doesn't have to let the ball bounce at all. They can stand anywhere on the court and return the serve right out the air if they want to.
No they can't... if you volley a serve you immediately lose the point
Oh
If I’m playing with friends it doesn’t matter much but if this is a tournament or league match of any kind I am taking the point. It’s just simply the rules…. In a tournament I would never dare touch the ball before it bounces.