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Ball Marks and Hard Court Life

On By Teresa Merklin

This week I learned that the procedures for inspection of ball marks to confirm or overrule line calls only apply during clay court play. Anyone who has played tennis on a hard court in Texas following a dusty windy day has experienced what I call “West Texas Clay.” It is pretty common around these parts to play on outdoor hard courts where the ball leaves a discernible mark. Additionally, depending on how indoor courts are maintained, tennis ball fuzz can also leave clear bounce marks on the court.

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Blow Back and Hindrance

On By Teresa Merklin

The final Case Decision in the “Role of Court Officials” section of the ITF Rules of Tennis is mysterious in a couple of ways. First, imagining how the scenario could even happen requires significant mental gymnastics and I am unable to find any evidence that it has ever actually occurred. Additionally, the interpretation of tennis law seems straight forward which leaves me wondering why this Case is even included.

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Hindrance from Corrections

On By Teresa Merklin

Tennis played with a full cadre of line officials is a privilege typically reserved for tour level professional matches. With electronic line calling becoming more and more prevalent, even that may soon be a relic of the past. Sometimes people make mistakes, and there are provisions in the ITF Rules of Tennis for handling the situation when a call is made, but immediately corrected.

Crossing the Net

On By Teresa Merklin

A clip of Denis Shapovalov yelling at the Italian Open crowd to “Shut the f*** up!” went viral last week. The incident occurred in his first round match against Lorenzo Sonego following a call that didn’t go his way after the umpire inspected a ball mark. The episode revealed that Shapovalov didn’t understand one of the fundamental rules of tennis.

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FoxTenn Permanent Fixture Considerations

On By Teresa Merklin

Last week I wrote about an unusual point where a ball in play bounced off one of the sensors used by the FoxTenn line calling system. It happened at Estoril during the semifinal match between Sebastian Korda and Francis Tiafoe. After a week of overthinking that occurrence, I want to revisit this rules interpretation and implications. Additionally, the Estoril tournament posted a video of it in the interim and this gives me the perfect chance to share out that clip.

Ball Strikes FoxTenn Sensor

On By Teresa Merklin

Last weekend in a semi-final match in Estoril, a ball struck one of the on-court sensors used by the FoxTenn line calling system. Sebastian Korda hit a ball that tipped the net cord and went almost straight up. Before the ball struck the ground it came into contact with one of the black boxes installed at the bottom of the net that houses the sensors/cameras. That unlikely occurrence presents an interesting case study of the rules.

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Settling the Score

On By Teresa Merklin

Sometimes two players disagree on the current score during a tennis match played without an on-court official. The correct procedure to resolve the dispute is to roll back the score until they reach agreement on the score at a previous point in the match. Play is resumed from there. In fact, if a roving official is summoned to the court that is usually how resolution is achieved. If the score was previously announced by one player without objection from the other, that is generally regarded as a point of agreement.

Overruled Line Calls

On By Teresa Merklin

The “Role of Court Officials” section of the ITF Rules of Tennis contained in the USTA Friend at Court describes the roles and authority that various officials have during a USTA officiated match. The rules are clear that questions of fact, such as whether a ball was in or out, can only be ruled on by an official based on direct observation. However, the rules surrounding overrules also reveal that sometimes officials with direct observation disagree on the correct call.

(Don’t) Call the Referee

On By Teresa Merklin

Last week a highly regarded junior tennis coach responded to my post on twitter about asking for the referee. Brian Notis of the Austin Tennis Academy observed that at the grassroots level players will encounter roving officials who do not understand subtle aspects of the Rules of Tennis. All players should be aware that they have the right to call for the referee if they disagree with an umpires interpretation of tennis law.

Calling the Referee

On By Teresa Merklin

In officiated matches, tennis players have the right to call the referee to court if they disagree with the umpire’s interpretation of tennis law. Unless the referee is sitting on-court, the chair umpire has the final decision authority on questions of fact that might arise during the match. The referee may only rule on interpretation of tennis law when summoned to a court.