Rules of Tennis: Order of Service
I have a reverence for the Order of Service, almost regarding it a basic sacrament of tennis. It provides a rhythm and cycle to tennis not unlike the ebb and flow of the tides.
Permanent Fixtures, Again
What is a permanent fixture in tennis? What happens when a ball strikes the net post and subsequently lands in the correct court?
4 responsesSpecial Edition: COVID-19 and Recreational Tennis
It should come as no surprise that my social circles are heavily populated with avid tennis players. I am aware that a lot of the tennis players in my life will find a way to play no matter what. Others are wondering what the implications of continued play are in the age of COVID-19 and how to do so in the safest way possible.
1 responseRules of Tennis: Ball Touches A Line
The rules keep getting shorter and shorter. The next section of the USTA Friend at Court/ITF Rules of Tennis is another “definition” rule used toRead More
Rules of Tennis: Ball In Play
After I swiped at the USTA/ITF yesterday for including a redundant sentence in “Change of Ends,” the Friend at Court immediately comes back at meRead More
Rules of Tennis: Change of Ends
The players shall change ends at the end of the first, third and every subsequent odd game of each set. Unfortunately, the ITF had some mansplaining to do.
4 responsesChoice of Ends and Service: Changing Your Mind
Once the toss has been decided, the outcome cannot be changed. However, the choices each player/team makes can be later changed under certain conditions.
Choice of Ends & Service: Strategies for Singles and Doubles
The fundamental truth about the choice of ends and service is that the selection really does not matter all that much. Due to the structure of the game, any advantage from playing from either end evens out over the course of a match.
Choice of Ends & Service: Deferring
Yesterday we discussed how ITF and the USTA have turned us all into degenerative gamblers via the mandatory casting of lots before each match starts. Today we turn our attention to the spoils of victory. Exactly what happens after the coin toss is executed?
Tennis Gambling: Choice of Ends & Service
Once upon a time, I gambled away the toss for choice of ends and service to my opponent prior to being assigned a court at a USTA Major Zone tournament. The side bet was on which of two other players in the draw would be the last to arrive for the first round matches. At the time, I considered the act to be brazenly outside of the rules.