Lightning Round: When the Detector Activates

I was on the court for a match last Sunday during the Greater Fort Worth Tennis Coalition (GFWTC) Tri-Level tournament when the lightning detectors activated. I immediately put my racquet in my bag and gathered up my gear to walk off the court. I was stunned by the realization that I was the only player in the vicinity with that reflex reaction.

The players on our court discussed whether a stoppage of play was mandatory when the lightning detectors were activated. During that conversation, I expected an announcement directing players to clear the courts either by the North Richland Hills Tennis Center pro shop or the GFWTC tournament desk. Neither was forthcoming. Eventually, I was convinced to stay on the court and resume play.

When the detectors went off, my partner and I had just closed out a game to go up 5-2 in the second set. With the first set already under our belts, the finish line was in sight. It took two additional games to close it out while thunder rumbled around us, and flashes of lightning were visible in the clouds. Five to ten minutes after our match was completed, the line of thunderstorms that had been approaching arrived, and heavy rain made the lightning detectors a moot point.

This was my first experience playing at a staffed facility where the lightning detectors were activated without an enforced stoppage of play. After our match concluded, the staff at the pro shop desk told me they had no policy to pull players off the court. Indeed, while the city of North Richland Hills Parks and Rec Department issued a press release in 2023 proudly announcing the installation of lightning detectors at the tennis center, the city doesn’t have rules or policies outlined. The closest thing to that is also in that press release: “The new system provides audible and visual alerts to park users when lightning is within close proximity (10 miles or less) to the park so they can take necessary safety precautions.”

In the intervening time, the RTC’s head pro directly confirmed that play would have been stopped if he had been present that day under the conditions I described. However, the facility has also experienced instances of its lightning detectors activating with no storms in the area. Hence, they have a layer of judgment built into the decision process. I am guessing that the desk staff last Sunday was unaware of the weather situation and dealing with a crowded pro shop as players jockeyed for position inside due to the impending rain.

The GFWTC doesn’t have any provisions for lightning in its League Regulations or any other document on its site that I could find. That likely explains why the tournament desk staff also took no action. Additionally, the GFWTC no longer staffs League playoff events with USTA officials. When I examine official USTA positions on lightning later this weekend, it will be an academic exercise since no one was present to take any sort of stand from that perspective.

I prefer playing at facilities with lightning detectors installed because it eliminates the guesswork about whether and when play should be stopped. It is an unbiased science-based arbiter for determining when it is time to pick up the racquets and walk off the court. It doesn’t make any sense to me to ignore those warnings and not take safety precautions. My attitude is also largely informed by the fatalist belief that if any player on a tennis court gets hit by lightning, it will be me.

In this case, it may be tempting to conclude that continuing play was the right decision since no one was struck by lightning last Sunday. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a risk worth taking.

1. 2024 GFWTC League Regulations, Greater Fort Worth Tennis Coalition, Revised November 2023.