Rain delays are never fun in tennis. A couple of weeks ago, scattered thunderstorms created sporadic disruptions the entire weekend of the USTA League 40+ Sectional Championships in Texas. The effects were particularly pronounced on the first day of competition. I appreciate how difficult it is for the organizers to effectively work through that game of chicken with Mother Nature.
In the past, when the weather kept the USTA Texas League Sectional Championship from being decided on the court, a lottery drawing was held to decide which team advanced to the National Championships. I previously wrote about a time when that happened in “A Crazy Court Drying Story,” I think that most serious players would probably agree that it is better to get the matches in, even using a shortened format.
Rescheduling matches on the widespread scale required for a 5-line team tennis Sectional Championship is inherently difficult. After losing the entire morning to rain, my team’s site gave us an additional unusual bonus complication. Long after the rains ended, most of the courts remained unplayable as runoff kept oozing up through cracks on the court’s surface. That created self-refilling puddles and wet spots, even though the sun was out and the courts were otherwise dry.
Some courts became playable before others. I was “lucky?” and was one of the first matches to go on. My singles line was assigned to a court adjacent to the primary bleacher area. The three other courts on that side of the facility did not become playable until after my match was completed. In fact, my match was concluded before two of my team’s lines even got started. All that made for an unhinged day of tennis.
This is just the way tennis rain delays work, and while it was annoying, there is nothing to legitimately get cranky about. Unfortunately, many of the 40+ dudes who were also scheduled to play at our site stepped in—literally—with repeated breaches of tennis etiquette and common courtesy that sparked this post.
Guys (with one exception, all dudes) crossed our court to warm up on the “unplayable” courts. Our match was disrupted by this on several occasions with points in progress. I am not usually too bothered by people milling around adjacent to my matches. However, actually stepping onto a court with a point in progress crosses a line. It was incredibly annoying, and it clearly also bothered my opponent. To make matters worse, all the other courts were reachable via a walkway and gate access, so crossing our court wasn’t required at all.
This is yet another example of an aspect of tennis etiquette and common courtesy that doesn’t appear in the official rules. Another player or spectator should never cross a court with a point in progress. In fact, when crossing one court to reach another, care should be taken to minimize disruption to the greatest extent possible by waiting until a natural break in the action occurs.
One guy dashed across our court as I was toed up to the baseline, ready to serve. As he passed, I crankily told him it was an actual match. He looked at me with a bewildered expression and meekly apologized. However, when his warm-up was completed, he again crossed our court at a disruptive moment. Why it wouldn’t occur to him to use the gate is beyond my mental capacity.
At some point, I became genuinely insulted that the repeated incursions onto our court insinuated that our quality of play was lacking. (I actually would agree that some of our points were extremely lackluster.) However, the level of tennis is not a justification for rude, boorish, and (maybe) misogynistic behavior.
There is an easy solution to this problem: Never cross a tennis court with a ball in play, whether it is a high-stakes match or a routine practice drill. It is a part of the sport’s culture and tradition. Alternatively, don’t be a self-absorbed jerk oblivious to how your actions impact others around you.
Coming tomorrow, a truly happy moment from that same USTA League 40+ Texas Sectional Championships.
