If a ball bounces twice, but your opponent runs into the net, whose point is it?
Have you ever had a dispute with a fellow player over a call on the court that you couldn’t settle? Or have you ever wondered why a certain ruling was made during a match you were watching? Maybe you’re just curious about how some scenarios, from the common to the ridiculous, are resolved.
USTA Director of Officials Richard Kaufman is here to answer your questions. He selects a few submissions at a time and supplies the definitive rulings through a Q&A.
Have a question of your own? Write to The Final Word!
Topic: Double Hits
Question: My opponent hit the ball hard at me, and I returned it, but he claimed that I hit the ball twice, even though it felt more like a carry to me, which has been legal for a long time now. My partner said that I hit it in one continuous motion, which seems to be the key difference between a legal and illegal hit. What is the correct ruling on this?
KAUFMAN: You are correct. If it was one continuous motion, without a second intentional swing or push, then it is a legal shot even if it hit your racqut twice in the one swing. It is also your call to make and not your opponent's.
Topic: Double Bounces
Question: A player hits a drop shot, which bounces twice on the opponent’s side of the net, before the player’s momentum carries him into the net. Whose point?
KAUFMAN: Once the ball has bounced twice, the point is over. If a player touches the net before the ball bounces a second time, that player loses the point.