The Rules of Tennis
The idea to eliminate service lets in tennis is gaining momentum. There are currently two high profile places where the no let rule can be observed in action. The first of these is World Team Tennis where the no-let rule was implemented to speed up play and create drama. It was also implemented in NCAA men’s tennis where the motivation was to eliminate cheating.
Appendix V of the ITF Rules of Tennis as published in the USTA Friend at Court outlines the rule in a straightforward single sentence.
This alternative is play without the service let (Rule 22.a) whereby a serve that touches the net, strap or band is in play.
ITF Rules of Tennis, Appendix V
The NCAA eliminated service lets in men’s tennis because the players make their own calls. That created an incentive for players to call a phantom let anytime their opponent hit an ace. I also once observed an egregious version of this during a USTA girls 18s tournament on an adjacent court to where my daughter was playing.
There is a crazy variation to this rule which could be enacted at the discretion of the sanctioning body.
At the discretion of the sanctioning body, when playing doubles using Short Sets in combination with No-Ad scoring and the No-Let rule, either player on the receiving team is permitted to return a serve that touches the net, strap or band and lands within the correct service box
ITF Rules of Tennis, Appendix V
I have yet to play an event where the sanctioning body has selected that option, but I have practiced it. It’s fun in a hyper aggressive psycho kind of way.
- United States Tennis Association (2021), Friend at Court: Handbook of Rules and Regulations, White Plains, NY
That cheating on calling the phantom let is similar to the cheating that I have seen in ladies league when a ball rolls onto the court behind one team and the opponents see it but don’t call a let until they think they are going to lose the point.