The Code, Principle 18: When Can You Call a Let for a Stray Ball?
“The windswept plains of North Texas” is a phrase I often use to describe my local playing area. Last weekend, I played a USTA LeagueRead More
The Code: You Don’t Get Two Chances to Win the Point
Many years ago, I was playing in the National Senior Women’s Clay Court Championships in Houston when I managed to net what should have beenRead More
How USTA Texas League Sectionals Wild Cards Are Awarded
Yesterday, I admitted to an error in a post I had previously published. Today’s mistake is a little harder to pin down because I cannotRead More
Mistakes Were Made: 2027 Fort Worth USTA League Regulation Analysis
A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed updates to the Greater Fort Worth Tennis Coalition League Regulations for 2027. I compared the new document againstRead More
Tennis Line Calls: What Does “Promptly” Actually Mean?
A couple of weeks ago, our sequential walkthrough of The Code reached Principle 15, which requires tennis players to make prompt audible or visible calls. At theRead More
The Code: What Happened to “Are You Sure of Your Call?”
For the past several months, I have been working sequentially through The Code, examining one principle at a time and occasionally comparing the current 2026 languageRead More
The Code, Principle 16: Spectators Never Make Calls
Every Wednesday, this site examines a rule or governing principle that shapes how tennis is actually played. We are currently working sequentially through The Code in theRead More
The Code, Principle 15: Even an Obvious Out Ball Needs a Call
Many years ago, my daughter was playing a junior tennis match when her opponent so badly mishit a second serve that it landed outside theRead More
The Code, Principle 14: From Replay to Concession
Every Wednesday, this site examines a rule or governing principle that shapes how tennis is actually played. We are currently working through The Code in the USTA’s FriendRead More
The Code, Principle 14: How to Correct Your Doubles Partner’s Call
Last week, we began an examination of Principle 14 of The Code, which addresses disagreements between doubles partners over calls. If one partner calls a ballRead More