Tennis matches can present unexpected situations, from let calls and distractions to ball interference and court hindrances. “What’s the Call?” helps league players quickly understand common rulings and how to properly handle on-court situations using official USTA rules and fair play guidelines.

What's the Call: "Let" me have a first serve

Question: I was serving and I hit my first serve into the net. I was getting ready for my second serve when a ball came onto our court from another court. “Let” was called and I retrieved the ball and hit the ball back over to our neighboring court. Am I allowed two serves to start that point over, or is it still only a second serve?

Answer: Oh, how a crowded row of courts can lead to fending off erratic balls hit by neighboring players! Luckily, this ball rolled onto your court before a serve and not an epic 20-shot rally. If the ball rolled on the court during your service motion and a let was called, then the server is entitled to a first serve. However, the delay caused by clearing a ball between the first and second serve is not enough to warrant two serves (unless this time is prolonged). (USTA Code 30)

What's the Call: Poaching peril

Question: During a really tight tiebreaker in my doubles match, we decided on the next point that my partner at the net would poach after my serve. I hit a great serve and she was able to poach and put the ball away. Our opponents claimed that she hit the ball before it crossed the net. Can they call that on us?

Answer: Honesty is the best policy and to keep your nose from growing like Pinnochio. The player who hit the ball should admit reaching over. Your opponents can ask if you reached over, but the player must call it on themselves. If you did, you are responsible for making this call and conceding the point if you hit the ball before it crossed the net. (Code 19)

What's the Call: Will you remove the ball?

Question: During my singles match, my opponent hit her first serve into the net. The ball ended up in the middle of the service box but my opponent did not make an attempt to move it. I requested that she move the ball off the court but my opponent stated that she was fine with the ball laying there. Since the ball was on her side of the net does he have to move it?

Answer: Just because the ball is on your opponent’s side does not mean he is the king of that side of the court. The server should respect their opponent’s request to remove the ball from the court. Whenever a ball is not in play, a player must honor an opponent’s request to remove a ball from the court or from an area outside the court that is reasonably close to the lines. (Code 42)

Deferring at the Coin Toss: What is the Rule?  

Question:  Before my last match, I won the spin and chose to defer. My opponent announced she would serve from the side she was standing on. I told her that she could choose either the side she wants to start from or whether she was serving or receiving, not both. Who is correct?

Answer: In the heat of the moment, many players would miss their opponent made all the decisions for them. Good catch! If you defer to your opponent, they get to make ONE decision not all of them. They can choose to either serve/receive or pick a side. They don’t get to choose both. (ITF Rule 9)

Who serves next after a tiebreak?

Question: Does the length of a tiebreak game determine who serves at the start of the next set? If someone wins a tiebreak, 7-5, versus a 15-13 tiebreak, does it change?

Answer: Luckily, no matter the length of the tiebreak game, you just need to remember who received at the very beginning of it.  If you (or your team) were the receiver for the first point of the tiebreak, you become the server for the first game of the next set. So go forth and play long tiebreaks; just remember who received first. (ITF Rule 5)

What's the call: Serving to the wrong side.

Question: After a long rally, I served to the ad side and lost the point. Before I served my next point, I realized my opponents received from the wrong side.  Do we replay the previous point or does the team automatically lose that point because the wrong person received?

Answer: That must have been some rally for the team to forget where they started! But forgetting where you started can happen to anyone.  Luckily, there is a simple solution. During a standard game or tiebreaker in doubles, if there is an error in the order of receiving, this order shall remain altered until the end of the tiebreak or game. The next game that the team receives, they will need to go back to their original receiving order. (ITF Rule 27)

Magic Touch: Legal or not?

Question: During a rally, I was pulled off-court and in a moment of desperation, I threw my racquet at a return. Amazingly, the ball hit the racquet and went back over the net for a winner. My opponent said that it was an illegal hit and that I lost the point. Is he correct?

We wish we could give you the point for style. It certainly sounds like a contender for one of the best shots of the year. Unfortunately for you, your opponent is correct. If you are not holding the racquet when the ball hits it, you lose the point.

This rule can be found in the Friend at Court under the ITF Rules of Tennis #24, Player Loses Point.