Whats the call on this return?

[Ironwood]

Playing doubles indoors, my partner returns a sitter from the baseline which the opposing net man pounds hard angled toward the side netting. It bounces high over the screen separating courts, but as the side netting isn't pulled all the way back at his end of the court, he runs around the end and lobs the ball back over the screen into their court. He didn't interfere with play on the adjacent court as they were in the midst of changing sides. It is perfectly legal of course to retrieve wide balls from the adjacent court in outdoor play where there is no netting separating courts, but indoors there is normally a barrier. Our opponents stopped play and suggested we play a let, which we did and lost anyway. Was this return over the screen separating indoor courts still in play?

[penpal]

It was still in play and it sounds like your partner made a brilliant play on it. Too bad you weren't filming the match - that'd be one to watch later.

With that said, I think in this extremely odd case you guys were right to allow your opponents the let. I don't think they should have asked for one, but good on you for replaying the point.

[Cindysphinx]

Why would you play a let?

[Ironwood]

Actually, we got a break with the let call, as my partners wide return over the side netting, was another sitter that could have been easily put away. Don't know they stopped play other than the return was so unusual they probably thought something wasn't right.

[tennis tom]

Tangentially, I find some of the most interesting things in tennis, happen with the ball after the point is over, yet most are oblivious to it.

[tamdoankc]

I've seen pros jump over side barriers to retrieve balls. Sounds legal. Is it legal to use an umpires chair to jump high enough to reach a ball?