I have discovered that it can be tremendously fun to conjure scenarios that break the rules of tennis. This is an unanticipated side effect of my systemic march through the USTA Friend at Court. The rule we have arrived at today is firmly in that category.
The point is lost if:
e. The receiver returns the service before it bounces.
USTA Friend at Court, ITF Rules of Tennis, Section 24
I am imaging two ways to violate this rule that would be very advantageous to the receiver. Thinking through the scenarios makes the necessity of this rule obvious.
The first approach, literally, is to return the serve with a swinging volley. In this case, the returner would recognize an opportunity to do this while standing in the conventional receiving position. With a slow and high serve, the player could move into the service box and strike the ball while moving into the net.
If allowed, it would be an effective tactic. Picture Serena Williams moving in against a poofy serve and taking a big cut at the ball while standing in the middle of the service box.
The second method would be to position the receiver on top of the net for a reflex volley. In basketball, the goal tending rule became necessary when teams started position a player at the rim to swat away all shot attempts. This is the tennis equivalent of the goal tending rule.
The tactic of the server facing a player in that position would most likely be to deliver a hard body serve in an attempt to apply the “Wilson tattoo.” Once again, John Isner springs to mind.
I think that it would be a tremendously fun exhibition side show to see if players could volley back an Isner serve. I would recommend putting some baseball protective gear on the receiver in that scenario. Someone please make that happen.
The somewhat related scenario to all this is the Sneak Attack by Roger (SABR) return. In that case, the ball played is a half volley because, as the rule dictates, the receiver has to allow the ball to bounce. Even with that restriction, Roger Federer’s SABR return demonstrates that moving in against the serve can be a tremendous advantage even at the highest levels of the game.
Thinking though the violation scenarios make it obvious as to why this is a necessary rule of tennis. The receiver has to return the service off a bounce, otherwise it just wouldn’t be tennis.
- United States Tennis Association (2020) Friend at Court. White Plains, NY
