Tennis Unwritten Rules

[Nadalfan89]

Hey guys, tomorrow I'm playing in my first serious tournement and I don't want to look like a fool. Is their any unwritten rules that I should know about beforehand? Like no excessive drop shotting or special tennis etiquette or wierd serves or something. I don't want to get a reputation as "that guy", y'know?

[TonLars]

Hmmm lets see, maybe the biggest thing a beginner lacks is the warmup procedure. It would be nice for you to know it or you will definitely stand out. After you hit some groundstrokes, youll both take turns hitting some volleys followed by asking for overheads. After you both do this then you warmup serves by hitting all 3 balls to each other, and the other person just catches or stops them and serves them back in turns. Usually youll take a few turns on both the deuce and ad side.

Other than that, you should make sure after each point when you are returning serve that you give balls back to the server and make sure they have 2 balls, some are anal and want all 3 on their side, as well as needing all balls cleared off the court and plain sight, even if it a ball is directly next to the net, or even sometimes in the middle of the back fence. Those are a couple of the main "unwritten" or less stated rules.

[Steady Eddy]

In the warm up, when your opponent practices serves, don't practice your return of serve. Just stop the balls, and then practice your serve when he's used the balls. Someone looks real 'new' when they think, "Hey! Since he's serving I'll just practice my returns." and proceed to spray the balls around the court, so they need to be collected again. This wastes time.

Also, when the match starts, don't return out serves with an "Out" call. It's ok for a serve that's fast, and close to the line. But when a mishit on a slow, spin serve goes way out, it's annoying to see the opponent chase it down, slug it, and yell "out". Now the server has to interrupt himself between serves, clear that ball, and do the second serve. Lot's of players play for decades this way, but few of them are in tournaments. When they are in tournaments, they stick out like a sore thumb.

[benasp]

Not cheating ! and by that I mean be more than sure to call a ball out, tennis is hard to judge, the umpire at pro level make this for a livin and they get it wrong sometime so you can too. This being said, if you think there a doubt it can be in, give it to the other. And you can only hope he will do the same but that another story.

As for the playing style, personally i don't think anything under the rule should be prohibited, if drop shot work do it, it is a sport and the goal is to win.

[heycal]

After you both do this then you warmup serves by hitting all 3 balls to each other, and the other person just catches or stops them and serves them back in turns. Usually youll take a few turns on both the deuce and ad side.

I like this method -- you take 3, then I take 3 -- but have only encountered it once. Everyone else I've played seems to prefer the method where one guy serves a bunch in a row, with the other guy just returning the balls to him.

[tangoll]

I would also say that in the warm-up, the polite thing to do is not to try to hit winners or to blast away. The idea is to hit the ball back to each other, first with medium pace, and gradually up the pace as you warm up each other. When the opponent is at the net practicing volleys, don't try to pass them or blast the ball by him. Similarly on overheads, just lob the ball medium height in the general direction of where he's standing.

Most important, have fun, don't cheat on line calls, and watch your own foot faults.

[Orangejumper]

ahh the warm up.
Go up to the net and let him fire off his best array of shots at you. for me this is important, (sorry, this has nothing to do with etiquette ) as you can soon establish what are the strengths and weaknesses from 1 minute of warm up play.

good luck

[blakesq]

Drop shotting, and weird serves are just fine, if they win you points. Sometimes your opponent will complain, but if they do, keep on hitting the shots that make them complain.

Don't catch balls that are going out, if you do, its your opponents point.


Hey guys, tomorrow I'm playing in my first serious tournement and I don't want to look like a fool. Is their any unwritten rules that I should know about beforehand? Like no excessive drop shotting or special tennis etiquette or wierd serves or something. I don't want to get a reputation as "that guy", y'know?

[mikeler]

Other than announcing the score, keep chit chat limited to changeovers. I can't stand when people are shouting out a conversation on the court next to me with both opponents standing on the baseline. Some opponents will be happy to talk during changeovers while others will let you know pretty quickly they are only there to play tennis and not to be social.

[maverick66]

i have never ever talked to my opponent ever. i wouldnt answer you if it was general chit chat. what tournaments are you playing were you are talking to the other player?


biggest thing is go out and compete. dont worry what other people are thinking about you. if you make a mistake big deal. just keep playing hard. no matter what happens play hard.

[mikeler]

i have never ever talked to my opponent ever. i wouldnt answer you if it was general chit chat. what tournaments are you playing were you are talking to the other player?


biggest thing is go out and compete. dont worry what other people are thinking about you. if you make a mistake big deal. just keep playing hard. no matter what happens play hard.


Thank you for backing up my point! :)

[Geezer Guy]

I don't think he's going to answer you.

[Element54]

Don't dance to put off your opponent during doubles.

I played some friends after a long while, and my friend kept dancing/swaying at net and it distracted me. Probably I'm taking it too seriously anyways since im hitting with good friends.

[Korangster]

ummm, one of my pet peevs is when you start warmup and your opponant decides to give you terrible feeds so he can show off how well he can put away a short ball. maybe a bad feed doesn't annoy other ppl, but im pretty short, and moonballs bug the hayell out of me.
Korangster

[mikeler]

I've also played guys that would like a 45 minute warmup rather than 15 minutes. I go to the net, do my thing. We hit a few balls at the baseline and the guy shows no signs of venturing forward to get his net warmup. At that point I ask if he is going to take any at net and if not ask if he is ready to serve. Usually this gets the point across.

[maverick66]

what kind of tournies are you playing? 45 min warmups and chit chat between games.

[mikeler]

what kind of tournies are you playing? 45 min warmups and chit chat between games.


75s and up. Just kidding. I have never warmed up for 45 minutes EVER. I was just trying to make a point to the OP. I used to play USTA 4.5s and I play the annual club tournament at my tennis center. A lot of people in the USTA take everything too seriously for my liking, so I stopped playing them.

[maverick66]

well you play tournies in florida what do you expect. i swear everyone i ever met in florida with a racket was some kind of tennis pro.

[mikeler]

well you play tournies in florida what do you expect. i swear everyone i ever met in florida with a racket was some kind of tennis pro.


Lots of good players here. That's why I can never leave...

[blakesq]

if "dancing/swaying" bothers your opponents, i would say, keep on doing it! :twisted:

Don't dance to put off your opponent during doubles.

I played some friends after a long while, and my friend kept dancing/swaying at net and it distracted me. Probably I'm taking it too seriously anyways since im hitting with good friends.

[blakesq]

Mikeler,

Where in FL do you play/live? My wife and I are going to St. Augustine on thursday to check it out, possibly move to that area from cold and expensive New England.




Lots of good players here. That's why I can never leave...

[coyfish]

I hate people people who hit as hard as they can during warmups. Played a few people who did this. They try and hit super hard I guess so you never get a chance to "warm up." They push you right and left or just smash it with topspin right on the baseline. Very annoying.

[mikeler]

Mikeler,

Where in FL do you play/live? My wife and I are going to St. Augustine on thursday to check it out, possibly move to that area from cold and expensive New England.


I am located in the Orlando area. St. Augustine is small and quaint. I love to visit there for a weekend, but I'm not sure I'd want to live there. Ponte Vedra is pretty nice too. I'm sure there is a good group of players in the Jacksonville area too. The club I play at has so many 4.5s and 5.0s it is tennis heaven for me.

[Verno Inferno]

To highlight something Mikeler said: you need to call out the score before you serve.

1) Don't be the guy who never calls out the score.

2) Don't be the guy who only sometimes calls out the score.

3) Don't be the guy who mumbles the score.

4) Don't be the guy who mumbles/says the score as he is going into his serve.

I think this is actually a written rule, so maybe this doesn't apply. But I think of all those, I hate most the guy who mumbles the score as he's rocking back into his serve. Lame.

[Taxvictim]

So, Nadalfan89, how'd it go?

[mikeler]

To highlight something Mikeler said: you need to call out the score before you serve.

1) Don't be the guy who never calls out the score.

2) Don't be the guy who only sometimes calls out the score.

3) Don't be the guy who mumbles the score.

4) Don't be the guy who mumbles/says the score as he is going into his serve.

I think this is actually a written rule, so maybe this doesn't apply. But I think of all those, I hate most the guy who mumbles the score as he's rocking back into his serve. Lame.


That ticks me off when the server doesn't call the score before each point and then he forgets what the score is. :evil: