To round out this Father’s Day weekend, we are revisiting a couple of classic tennis dad jokes. These groaners make regular appearances on courts everywhere, often delivered with a deadpan expression or sometimes just enough theatrical flair to amuse or annoy, depending on the situation.
As far as tennis dad jokes go, two classics make regular court appearances. The first is the magnanimous “take two.” That typically occurs when a ball from an adjacent court interrupts the point before the first serve is put into play. After clearing the intruding ball, the receiving team will graciously call out, “Take two!”—as though they’re bestowing a great favor. Of course, it’s not actually generous at all, since the server hasn’t hit their first serve yet and is entitled to two serves anyway.
Another tennis dad joke is the fake “out” call on a clean winner. Delivered with dramatic timing, the player pauses and then adds “…of reach.” In its most subtle form, the joke is executed with nothing more than a deadpan “Out,” followed by a smile and a raised eyebrow. It’s funny—unless it’s not.
The fake “out” call is especially risky in competitive play. If the opponents believe the call was sincere, what is intended to be a joke can rapidly spiral into ill will, sharp words, and a revival of every questionable line call that’s ever come before. Even worse, I’ve seen a partner mistakenly believe the call was real, which led to score confusion and mounting frustration just a few points later. Once the genie of distrust is out of the bottle, it’s tough to get it back in.
If there’s a unifying truth here, it’s this: tennis dad jokes are best deployed once per match, if at all. The “take two” should be saved for a lighthearted moment, and “out (of reach)” should only be used if it’s crystal clear that it’s a joke. Otherwise, what starts as levity can turn into unnecessary friction.
Magnanimity is great. So is humor. However, when you combine the two in a match setting, you may end up experiencing unexpected drama.
If you have a tennis dad joke that you’d like me to cover in the future, please let me know.
