A Good Return (Net) Post Scripts

The next two subsections of “A Good Return” deal with unusual situations involving the net post. I have never personally encountered either of these situations in a live match.

It is a good return if:

c. The ball is returned outside the net posts, either above or below the level of the top of the net, even though it touches the net posts, provided that it hits the ground in the correct court; except as provided in Rules 2 and 24 (d).

USTA Friend at Court, ITF Rules of Tennis, Section 25

In “Permanent Fixtures Again” this was discussed as a legal shot that is frequently misinterpreted. That post included a clip of a point where Mayer played the ball off the post and in against Del Potro. The net post is NOT a permanent fixture, so this is a perfectly legal shot.

The next subsection of this rule is a definite edge case.

It is a good return if:

d. The ball passes under the net cord between the singles stick and the adjacent net post without touching either net, net cord or net post and hits the ground in the correct court.

USTA Friend at Court, ITF Rules of Tennis, Section 25

There is a video clip that illustrates this occurring in a match between a baby-faced John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. On match point, John McEnroe plays a ball that passes between the net and the net post. The court is in the singles configuration, so there is no singles stick. This is a case where interpretation is needed.

What is awesome about this clip is that Lendl argues with the umpire about the legality of the shot. Based on the documented rules, I cannot say that he was wrong. I most likely would have interpreted the legality of the shot the same way the umpire did.

There are so many other things that I love about this clip. I always adored the iconic argyle print shirt that Lendl wore. The Fila outfits that the ball kids were wearing are the perfect illustration of how tight the guys wore their shorts back in the day. Additionally, I would not have wanted to climb up into that rickety looking umpire’s chair.

The match between Lendl and McEnroe was from the World Championship Tennis Finals (WCT) in 1983. You can see the WCT logo on the back of the court. It was played in Dallas Texas at Reunion Arena. If the play seems a little slow, it may have been because the surface is carpet. John McEnroe won $150,000 for winning the 4 hour and 16 minute final.

Given the year and the venue, there is a good chance that I would have known at least one of the ball boys in the clip. Alas, with the low definition video of the day, I can’t make any positive identifications.

1. United States Tennis Association (2020) Friend at Court. White Plains, NY