Court of Appeals

Resolving your rules questions and quarrels

- Rebel Good

Q I hit a ball that my opponent played back as a half-volley drop shot. However, in hitting the ball my opponent had his hand on the strings, flat and pressed. Is this a legal shot?

—Richard Bruer, Clearwater, FL

A: We’re playing tennis, not handball, right? It’s not legal because the hand pressed against the strings will most certainly make contact with the ball. Under Rule 24.i., it is a loss of point.

Letter of the Law

Our opponent was hitting his second serve when a ball from another court rolled onto our side. The server didn’t see it and didn’t hear his partner say, “Let.” His second serve landed out. We gave him a first serve, but could we have claimed the point? —Jonathan Lockeretz, Atlanta, GA

Good on you for being good sports. That’s never the wrong way to play. As in so many cases, timing is the key issue. If the “let” call came before the second serve was struck then a first serve would be in order (The Code, Item 30). However, if the call came after the serve was struck it would be a double fault, as the server was not hindered.

Service Confusion