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Additional Let Rules

In “Not Quite Ready to Receive” it was discussed that if the receiver is not ready then the serve cannot be called a fault. I missed the subtlety of the usage of the word fault in that coverage of the rule. It was clear that the serve cannot be counted against the receiver if the receiver is not ready. The nuance is that the serve cannot be counted against the server either if it does not fall in.

History of the Service Let

The first usage of the word let in lawn tennis appeared in 1878, but that was not specific to the serve, but rather outside obstruction or interference, such as “an obtrusive dog running across the court, or anything of that kind.” I need to pause here for a moment to note that containing such specific examples would certainly spice up the modern ITF rules of tennis.

The Let During a Serve

The word let, when used as a noun, is literally defined as “something that impedes: obstruction.” The idiom “without let or hindrance” is commonly used in British law to mean “without being interfered with.” With those two sentences this project has now covered the full spectrum of possible content gravitas, ranging from language arts on one end to funny YouTube videos on the other.

The Service Fault: Fratricide

Without question, the two most painful times I have been struck by a tennis ball on the court were delivered courtesy of my own doubles partner. One of those was on my partner’s serve where I was hit so hard that the seams of the ball were clearly visible on the bruise. Fortunately that ball struck my butt, the most well padded part of my body. This brings us to the final way a service fault can be committed that I call fratricide.

The Tennis Service Whiff

A whiff is when a player attempts to strike the ball in tennis, but fails to connect. This is not to be confused with a shank, which results when the ball connects with the racquet frame rather than the strings, scudding off in physics defying angles. There is nothing more ridiculous in tennis than the whiff.