Do you overrule your doubles partner when he makes a bad call?

[kiteboard]

I've done it and it is never good for team work, but at least I don't feel guilty about it later. When they've done it to me, sometimes they have been wrong and that got me steamed.

[Alchemy-Z]

Yes in men's doubles

NEVER when i play mixed with my wife

[Larrysümmers]

no. I remember hitting a bh return winner off of a first serve, but my partner called it out, from his angle it was out, but i was standing right ontop of things and i could clearly see that it hit the line. ever since then we trust each other.

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by Alchemy-Z

Yes in men's doubles

NEVER when i play mixed with my wife

That's because even when you're playing tennis, she's always right.

[user92626]

Of course I also make my own calls which sometimes differ and overrule my partners. That's for owning your own mind and beliefs, but I also allow room for reasoning, eg who has a better view.

[2ndServe]

If they other team is fair I think it's only right to over rule your partner if you see it's in. If they are making shoddy calls, I let it be. Basically if they are playing balls a few inches out I return the favor and play their barely out balls if they call lines out I return the favor likewise. I think it's lowbrow way to of doing things if your partner gives them shtty line calls when they've been fair to your team.

[TennisA]

I generally go with my partner's call unless it's completely off. If my opponents continue questioning the call after I verify my partner's call, I usually end up offering to replay the point. No point arguing for 20 minutes over a call

[3fees]

No,support your doubles pard.

[SystemicAnomaly]

Originally Posted by 3fees

No,support your doubles pard.

Even if you are certain that he/she is wrong? How is that not cheating?

[USS Tang]

Always unless he has the better vantage point.

[Maui19]

I correct bad calls by my partner, as long as I'm sure a ball was out. If I think it might have been out, but I'm not right on top of the call, I will let it go.

[Long Face]

Close calls, no.

If way off, yes.

[gregor.b]

Originally Posted by kiteboard

I've done it and it is never good for team work, but at least I don't feel guilty about it later. When they've done it to me, sometimes they have been wrong and that got me steamed.

Only if it is an obvious mistake or hook. The opposition aren't usually all that stupid, so you try and call it how you see it. If it is close, I prefer to let it go unless he keeps calling all the close ones out.

[5263]

Originally Posted by SystemicAnomaly

Even if you are certain that he/she is wrong? How is that not cheating?

It is cheating if you are convinced they missed the call & don't speak up.

I don't overrule if the partner is in better position for the call &
I'm not sure about the call though. You have to call it in when in doubt
where it is your call to make, but you don't need to overrule just because of that
doubt. You have to trust the partner made the right call if he had better position
& made the call.

[martini1]

This should rarely happen because it is the one who is nearest to the ball to make the call. If the partner calls it out immediately I'd say 99% of the time he saw it better than you.

Unless it is like a serve and my partner is returning, I would call the balls that are just long. And on the bad calls that favor us, I would call it out just for sportsmanship sake.

[SystemicAnomaly]

Originally Posted by martini1

This should rarely happen because it is the one who is nearest to the ball to make the call. If the partner calls it out immediately I'd say 99% of the time he saw it better than you...

This is fallacious thinking and is a very common misconception. The person closest to the ball very often does not have the best view of the ball with respect to the line. If a player is very close to the bounce point, their ability to make an accurate call on a ball on the line or close to the line is very poor.

The problem in this situation is that the player in question is usually trying to track the ball rather than focusing on the line. Certified linesman are taught not to watch the ball when it approaches close to a line of interest. If it appears that a ball will bounce close to a line, they stop watching the ball and focus on the line instead -- keeping their head & eyes very still before and after the bounce event.

This is not the case with the player who is trying to to return a ball. They are tracking the ball and their head and/or eyes are usually moving. Studies have shown that our ability to make an accurate ball when the head/eyes are moving is extremely poor.

In addition, even when the head/eyes are still, the ball is usually traversing the field of vision much too quickly when it is in close proximity for the smooth pursuit (visual) system to track accurately. Quite often, the ball essentially becomes "invisible" for a short period of time when it is in close proximity. How often do you really seen the ball as it comes into contact with your strings? It is impossible most of the time. This is a similar situation for balls that bounce very close to us.

[blakesq]

I do what Maui does.

Originally Posted by Maui19

I correct bad calls by my partner, as long as I'm sure a ball was out. If I think it might have been out, but I'm not right on top of the call, I will let it go.

[fuzz nation]

Originally Posted by TennisA

I generally go with my partner's call unless it's completely off. If my opponents continue questioning the call after I verify my partner's call, I usually end up offering to replay the point. No point arguing for 20 minutes over a call

I appreciate the spirit of this thinking, but I encourage everyone to occasionally go back and read "The Code" along with the rules, just to help with a sense of clarity out there more often than not.

The way our game is intended is that we only take points that we've earned. Opponents get the benefit of the doubt. I think it's as simple as can be to stick with the rule of thumb where if there is doubt, there is no doubt. That means the point goes to your opponent(s) unless you know you've won it.

Whenever we consider replaying a point (I've done it, too), we're kidding ourselves - there's doubt, yet we're not giving the point to our opponents. Maybe it keeps the peace, but it leaves that lingering air of uncertainty hanging over the match. If your opponent can't respect your overrule... well, that sucks, but I prefer not to be bullied into cheating.

[kiteboard]

Most of the time it's on serve returns that my partners make mistakes, and when I don't overrule them it feels like cheating, but when I do, the partner is upset, lingering doubt or not, as to my calls.

[woodrow1029]

The biggest misconception when it comes to line calls in doubles is that people think that if partners don't know about a ball that the other partner called out, it casts doubt. That's not the way it works.

Partners DO NOT have to agree on a line call. They just CANNOT disagree on the line call.

If your partner calls it out, and you are sure it was out when asked by the opponent, tell them it was out. That should end the discussion.

If your partner calls it out, and you didn't see it either because you were not looking where it hit, or you were blocked by your partner, or your partner just had a better look at it then you, when you are asked by the opponents just tell them that your partner had a better look, or something like that. That does not justify the opponents claiming the point as partners not agreeing. Also, there is nothing in the rules that allows you to replay the point if you are unsure of a line call. It's either in or it's out. It's either your point, or their point.

If your partner calls it out, and you flat out saw it clearly good, it's your responsibility to overrule the partner's call. Then, you lose the point. You don't replay it.