The ability to pull off one of the coolest tricks in tennis is also the next way to lose a point.
The point is lost if:
f. The player deliberately carries or catches the ball in play on the racket or deliberately touches it with the racket more than once.
USTA Friend at Court, ITF Rules of Tennis, Section 24
I distinctly remember the day when I realized that I had mastered the trick of catching the ball out of the air with my racquet. Casually snatching a ball out of the air with the racquet is the pinnacle of tennis cool for a budding tennis player. Doing so on a ball that is in play is a loss of the point.
The reasons for this rule are obvious. A player who can catch the ball with the racquet could then carry the ball to any point on the court to then sling the ball back at their opponent. That would destroy the nature of the game.
This same rule also prohibits a player from intentionally striking the ball more than once. The reason for this is also patently clear. If more than one strike was permitted, then the player could bat the ball up in the air in the general proximity of the net and then play an overhead for a sitter winner.
The inclusion of the word intentional must be emphasized. The litmus test for intention is “continuous motion.” As long as the racquet swing is unbroken in pace or direction, double strike of the ball is allowed. I am stunned to discover that the phrases “continuous motion” is not in the USTA Friend at Court. That fact is another opportunity to win a bar bet. I know that is specified somewhere… I just can’t find it at the moment.
I feel compelled to point out that developing the skill of catching the ball will legitimately improve your tennis. The catching trick develops soft hands and a feel for the ball. I occasionally do a drill where each strike of the ball is an intentional double strike in a volley to volley rally. It is where “great touch” comes from.
I will close today with a quarantine video on how to perform the catch skill that was recently published by a school teacher for his students. YouTube has other tutorials, but I think this one is actually one of the better ones available. In any case, this is one of the rare cases where learning to break one of the rules of tennis can improve your game.
- United States Tennis Association (2020) Friend at Court. White Plains, NY
