Resolving Your Rules Questions & Quarrels

Certainly not. Rule 16, on how the service is delivered, says nothing about how many balls you can hold in your hand, as long as you’re only tossing one of them.

- Rebel Good

Two for One

Is there a rule against holding two tennis balls in your hand when serving? I’ve always done so, but in a league match, an opponent asked me to only hold one at a time. I did as he asked, but is this a rule? —Peachie Elsas, Jacksonville, FL

Certainly not. Rule 16, on how the service is delivered, says nothing about how many balls you can hold in your hand, as long as you’re only tossing one of them. Your opponent may have been confused by The Code, #36, which says, in part, “a deliberate hindrance occurs when the receiver asks the server to stop discarding the second ball after serving, and the server continues” to do so. So long as you keep a grip on that second ball, you’re OK.

Breaking It Down