The Rules of Tennis
I highly recommend tennis as a sport to parents who are looking to raise independent and assertive children. Tennis is the perfect environment for developing and growing problem solving abilities in kids. Due to the unique rules of tennis, players learn to stand up for themselves. It is a valuable life skill.
That is actually not what I am writing about today. Today’s topic is how tennis turned me into a heartless bastard. We are currently in the “Continuous Play” section of the ITF Rules of Tennis as printed in the USTA Friend at Court.
No extra time shall be given to allow a player to recover condition.
USTA Friend at Court, 29(c)
This rule is one of the primary reasons why I habitually carried a dog eared copy of the Rules of Tennis in my racquet bag as a junior player. If I can quickly blow my opponent off the court, that is my most preferred method to win a tennis match. Unfortunately I don’t always have the skill level required to effectively prosecute that strategy.
It was a frequent pattern during my junior playing days to cycle through all manner of strategies and tactics before arriving at my last resort tactic. If all else failed, I would simply try to extend the match as long as humanly possible in an attempt to outlast my opponent. I enjoyed a fairly high level of fitness back in the day.
I once played a point that lasted over five minutes. I know this with certainty because our fathers were entertaining themselves by timing the points. I am sure that the tennis wasn’t scintillating, so I will excuse both of them for keeping one eye on the clock.
I always had tremendous faith in my own conditioning in my junior playing days. I also have fairly efficient energy management on the court. Sometimes that can come off as lazy or lackadaisical, but my movement style does not waste energy. I never experienced cramping as a junior.
My opponents did not fare so well. The most common loss of condition manifested itself by breakdowns in concentration and shot execution. Occasionally my opponents cramped. Sometimes the official who was summoned to the court was familiar with the loss of condition rules. At other times, they were not. This would force me to be the bad guy by insisting that the rules were enforced. I hadn’t stood out on that court for three and a half hours for my opponent to be granted an extended break.
As an adult, I am a little more flexible. My focus on play has shifted to the joy of playing rather than a cutthroat desire to win. Additionally, while I still have a lot of faith in my conditioning, I really don’t have the patience to effectively prosecute the “outlast” strategy.
I think that it is reasonably safe to say that I will never play a five minute point ever again.
- United States Tennis Association (2020) Friend at Court. White Plains, NY
