I am not going to lie, I have permanent fixture fatigue. Discovering that ball strikes of the permanent fixture are the next way to lose a point, was met with a small degree of dismay. Fortunately, this is the last place where permanent fixtures come up in the rules with the exception of a future hindrance reference. I am hoping to completely dispense with the topic of permanent fixtures today.
The point is lost if:
d. The player returns the ball in play so that, before it bounces, it hits a permanent fixture.
USTA Friend at Court, ITF Rules of Tennis, Section 24.d
If it seems like I have already written about this rule, it is because I actually have. In “Permanent Fixtures, Again” I wrote a lot about how the ball striking a permanent fixture is a point loss. There is good reason for that. It is because the section we were covering at that time basically says the exact same thing.
If the ball in play touches a permanent fixture before it hits the ground, the player who hit the ball loses the point.
USTA Friend at Court, ITF Rules of Tennis, Section 13
Yesterday, I wrote about losing a point due to a ball striking an object that was not a hindrance or a permanent fixture. That object exists because the rule right before the permanent fixture one in this section is for that scenario. I settled into an overhanging tree, and after reviewing the definitions of permanent fixture in the Friend at Court I am confident with that assertion.
Note the plurality of definitions. There are actually two provided in the Friend at Court. First up is the one in the Glossary.
Permanent Fixtures. Permanent fixtures include any scoring device that is attached to a net post, the areas of the net outside the singles sticks in a singles match, the doubles posts in a singles match that is using singles sticks, fences, backstops, curtains, seating areas, officials’ chairs, the ceiling, and lights for the court.
USTA Friend at Court, Part 6, Glossary
A tree remains a pretty good candidate for a non-fixture, but this definition does not include the officials or the spectators. I am pretty sure that they are, and for good reason. Section 2 of the ITF rules of tennis which lays in the rule definition of permanent fixtures includes all manner of people.
The permanent fixtures of the court include the backstops and sidestops, the spectators, the stands and seats for spectators, all other fixtures around and above the court, the Chair Umpire, Line Umpires, Net Umpire and ball persons when in their recognised positions.
USTA Friend at Court, ITF Rules of Tennis Section 2
A court official in the recognized position is a permanent fixture. If an official was not in their recognized position, then they are either a hindrance, if they wandered into the court, or a spectator if they wandered off. I have two great umpire wandering stories, but they are more appropriate for future discussions on hindrance.
I think I am done with permanent fixtures. Again. I hope I am not wrong this time.
- United States Tennis Association (2020) Friend at Court. White Plains, NY
