The Rules of Tennis
The final discussion point in the Rules surrounding the use of Player Analysis Technology is over how the allowability of various devices is litigated. Last week we discussed that the ultimate authority over these devices is the ITF. There are detailed policies and procedures that define how the determination is made.
The last sentence of the Player Analysis Technology section points to yet another Appendix to the ITF Rules of Tennis.
Such rulings and applications shall be made in accordance with the applicable Review and Hearing Procedures of the International Tennis Federation (see Appendix XI).
ITF Rules of Tennis as published in the USTA Friend at Court
The main body of the ITF Rules of Tennis as published in the USTA Friend at Court starts on page 3 and concludes on page 16. That means that all the rules discussion over the past year has spanned a mere 14 pages of the rule book. In fact, the excerpt provided above is the very last sentence of the main body of the rules on page 16.
Appendix XI starts on page 31 and concludes on page 35. That is about four and a half pages of content, or 25% of the total number of pages covered over the past year. I have no intention of spending the next three months covering that appendix. Suffice it to say that there is a detailed process for anyone who wants to petition the ITF for a rules change.
The rules changes are much more extensive than just Player Analysis Technology. The scope of authority claimed specifically includes the court, ball, and racquet. Additionally, basically anything that the ITF decides is in their purview. I suspect the most active topics currently are Player Analysis Technology and basic equipment.
From a practical standpoint, I perceive that there is a much better chance at achieving a rules change from a national association, such as the USTA, rather than from an individual. I have yet to stumble across the USTA equivalent process for rule change petitions. However, there is a USTA email address provided at the end of Appendix XI.
If you have a rules question, send full details by email to finalword@usta.com
USTA Annotation to Appendix XI.
Naturally, I had to send a question to that address to determine the response time. There was an auto-responder that promptly replied with a reminder that this is a holiday week. Consequently, responses will be delayed. This is the first USTA email address that I have ever contacted with an active auto-responder, which is an encouraging sign. I might eventually hear back from a human.
What question did I ask? That is next week’s rules topic.
- United States Tennis Association (2020) Friend at Court. White Plains, NY
