Tennis is full of cultural norms that aren’t a part of the official rules. After I wrote a series in May on the subtle etiquette of conceding a point, I knew I would be exploring more topics like that in the future. This weekend we are examining the philosophy behind offering a first-serve “do-over” to an opponent. The “Dad Joke” aspect of this was covered last Sunday in “The Magnanimous Take Two.”
That enables us to dive straight into Rule 23, “The Let,” from the ITF Rules of Tennis. It establishes the foundations of when and why a player might be entitled to a second first serve after previously delivering a fault.
23. THE LET
In all cases when a let is called, except when a service let is called on a second service, the whole point shall be replayed.
The ITF Rules of Tennis, Rule 23
Whenever a let is called, the entire point is replayed. However, enough controversy has apparently occurred over this rule in the past that the ITF has also rendered a Case Decision. Between the body of Rule 23 and the Case Decision, it is abundantly clear that replaying the entire point starts with a first serve.
Case 1: When the ball is in play, another ball rolls onto court. A let is called. The server had previously served a fault. Is the server now entitled to a first service or second service?
Decision: First service. The whole point must be replayed.
The ITF Rules of Tennis, Rule 23, Case Decision
This Case Decision explicitly covers what happens when a let is called when the ball is in play. By definition, that is actually the only time a let occurs. Looking forward to tomorrow, we will explore scenarios when a first serve should be granted during the interstitial time between a missed first serve and the start of the second serve when a let can technically not be called.
Underpinning all this is the rule that the ball is in play from the moment the server hits the ball until the point is decided. That is described in Rule 11 from the ITF Rules of Tennis.
11. BALL IN PLAY
Unless a fault or a let is called, the ball is in play from the moment the server hits the ball, and remains in play until the point is decided.
The ITF Rules of Tennis, Rule 23
In my experience, there are quite a few players that struggle to consistently string Rule 11 and Rule 23 together when the point has been started with a second serve. One memorable example was an opponent who argued that I could not call a non-service let while my serve was in the air but had yet to bounce. She did not agree to the point reverting back to a first serve, even though that is the rule.
I have also encountered situations where players wanted to only award a second serve when a let was called in close proximity to the return of that serve. Once again, since the ball was in play, the whole point is replayed, starting with a first serve.
All of these are the “easy” cases because it is explicit in the rules. Tomorrow we will discuss the “take two” scenarios that can arise when a player who has missed a first serve might be granted an opportunity to replay the entire point by an official or their opponent. It is an act of sportsmanship.
In the United States under the purview of the USTA, the basis for why that would happen resides within “The Code” of the USTA’s Friend at Court.
- ITF Rules of Tennis, International Tennis Federation, 2023
- Friend at Court: The Handbook of Tennis Rules and Regulations, USTA, 2023
As an aside, Rule 11 makes it clear that putting the ball in the air does not constitute the start of the point. In Rule 29, the 25 seconds between points is from the ‘moment that one point finishes until the first service is struck for the next point’. There is no umpire discretion to extend this time for crowd cheering, towelling down or tossing the ball in the air and catching it.