Discussion of the choice of ends and service from the rules of tennis concludes today with yet another mysterious case ruling.
Case 1: Do both players/teams have the right to new choices if the warm-up is stopped and the players leave the court?
Decision: Yes. The result of the original toss stands, but new choices may be made by both players/teams.
USTA Friend at Court, Section 9, Case 1
My current understanding of the case rules is nothing more than a personal theory. I believe that the case rulings arose from situations that occurred during a match that escalated to the point that an authoritative ruling was needed. In my imagination, these are arguments of epic proportions. Probably that idea shouldn’t make me happy, but it does.
This particular case ruling is a mystery to me. I am having trouble understanding why it even exists and the rationale behind it. One fact that can be ascertained from this rule is that the outcome of the toss is immutable. Once the toss occurs it cannot be changed. The decisions that the player/team make following that outcome is more pliant than I would have imagined, however.
The only obvious rationale is that if the players have to leave the court, then the playing conditions may be significantly changed before the warm-up resumes. That would explain why a player/team would want to make a change, but the reason that this would be allowed is still unexplained.
Since this is a case ruling is not a USTA comment, that means that it is a part of the ITF rules of tennis. Despite this rule not being USTA specific, there is a potential interplay with the USTA league rule which specifically allows a player substitution if there is an injury during the warm-up of a league match. A change in player would likely have a dramatic impact on the decisions for both singles and doubles. I can guarantee that the argument would be epic would that combination of events occurred.
If someone knows of a case where this has occurred, please let me know. I would love to hear the sordid details.
Administrative News: The Fiend at Court blog debuted this week at #75 in the “Top 100 Tennis Blogs” list published by Feedspot.com.
- United States Tennis Association (2020) Friend at Court. White Plains, NY
