Before 3rd set 10-point tie break, guy took a 7 minute water break

[chatt_town]

O Great...so now we are going to have a thread of someone asking Woodrow "when is the best time to schedule $hyting before a match so you don't have to $hyt again during the match". I can see Woodrow and some others giving all kinds of advice of special $hyt pills that someone has invented.lol Ya'll are crazy. I wish some official would tell me I can't go take a leak. We did have one come tell us at the state this fall that we could not even sit down after after the first game of the set. I was crossing over but my partner attempted to sit. We had just completed a set but we didn't break. So he figured he could sit after the first game of the second set. The ref told us we could have taken a break after the first set ended but we had to keep playing through until the next change over before we could sit. It wasn't that big of deal in this state because it was well into fall....but I'm glad I know this now in case I get caught in a singles match in the summer. I will take a break after the first set even if it's 6-4 or 7 5. So it's something everyone needs to consider if you have refs walking around that want everyone to know they are there even when they are not needed. lol

Originally Posted by SwankPeRFection

Or you could learn to isht before the match like everyone else.

[woodrow1029]

Originally Posted by chatt_town

O Great...so now we are going to have a thread of someone asking Woodrow "when is the best time to schedule $hyting before a match so you don't have to $hyt again during the match". I can see Woodrow and some others giving all kinds of advice of special $hyt pills that someone has invented.lol

LOL. Just so you know, if someone actually asks that, I will not be participating in that discussion.

[chatt_town]

Object? really? You would object to someone that says they have to go to the restroom because of what? You want to go ahead and finish the match of 10 points? I mean how much time is that really going to add to the match assuming he even took 10 minutes(which most wouldn't do that). I guess my thing is a person could already be at a point where he's been holding it for several games and you or no one else would want to go into a match tiebreak like that. I personally think it has no weight on the match and should always be allowed. if it's gamesmenship then so be it, but I'd hate to think I made some guy wet his pants because I want to try and enforce some rule...furthermore I'd tell a guy to kiss my @$$ if they tried to keep me from using it. it should never get that serious.

Originally Posted by Rjtennis

I might object to someone taking a break before a 3rd set TB since the match is almost over. After sets, I could care less if someone wants to take a 5-10 minute break. If I run out of water, I'll usually just ask a teammate to fill up my bottle. However, if there are not any teammates around (which never happens) I would think it reasonable to get some water. I would just be really quick about it. In my years playing USTA, the rules are not followed very closely. Nobody is timing breaks.

[IA-SteveB]

Originally Posted by chatt_town

Object? really? You would object to someone that says they have to go to the restroom because of what? You want to go ahead and finish the match of 10 points? I mean how much time is that really going to add to the match assuming he even took 10 minutes(which most wouldn't do that). I guess my thing is a person could already be at a point where he's been holding it for several games and you or no one else would want to go into a match tiebreak like that. I personally think it has no weight on the match and should always be allowed. if it's gamesmenship then so be it, but I'd hate to think I made some guy wet his pants because I want to try and enforce some rule...furthermore I'd tell a guy to kiss my @$$ if they tried to keep me from using it. it should never get that serious.

I have to kind of agree with you here. I love tennis, but I am just there to play the game competitively and hit a ball around. I know there are a lot of rules and people who have them memorized, but geez. I think part of the reason tennis is such an uptight sport is that there ARE so many rules and plenty of people who are ready to slap you in the face with a rulebook. I just know the basics, which is enough to enjoy the game.

[SystemicAnomaly]

Originally Posted by IA-SteveB

I have to kind of agree with you here. I love tennis, but I am just there to play the game competitively and hit a ball around. I know there are a lot of rules and people who have them memorized, but geez. I think part of the reason tennis is such an uptight sport is that there ARE so many rules and plenty of people who are ready to slap you in the face with a rulebook. I just know the basics, which is enough to enjoy the game.

But if you are playing a USTA match, as the OP was, you gotta follow all the rules, not just the basic ones or the ones you like.

[omega4]

Originally Posted by IA-SteveB

I have to kind of agree with you here. I love tennis, but I am just there to play the game competitively and hit a ball around. I know there are a lot of rules and people who have them memorized, but geez. I think part of the reason tennis is such an uptight sport is that there ARE so many rules and plenty of people who are ready to slap you in the face with a rulebook. I just know the basics, which is enough to enjoy the game.

You think tennis has a lot of rules?

I hope you never decide to take up golf LOL....

The weirdest PGA Tournament rule I've seen was where a golf course declared that their bunkers were not in fact bunkers (local rules). I'm still trying to understand that one.

[chatt_town]

I even understand what you are saying. I believe in rules but to me you have to use each rule with common sense. If it's 97 degrees and I'm playing some guy and he's gotten me to 3rd set breaker and he says he has to go to the restroom...man...really...if that throws you off that badly then you didn't deserve to win in the first place. If the rule wasn't there and the guy took the break, the outcome would still be the same. I mean you will have an instance or two if you play long enough where a guy may say he's going to the restroom and actually do something like take a shower. I could see that happening and I'm sure it has. Is he bending the rules...or breaking them...sure he is...but I'd rather he do that and possibly even beat me then take the chance of a guy tee teeing on himself(which I don't know a man tht would allow another man to tell him he can't go to the restroom).

Originally Posted by SystemicAnomaly

But if you are playing a USTA match, as the OP was, you gotta follow all the rules, not just the basic ones or the ones you like.

[SystemicAnomaly]

^ No way it should take 7 minutes to take a leak unless the restrooms are more than 3 minutes away. It is rather naive to say that a 7 minute break would or should not make a difference. The 7 minute break appeared to be an intentional stall tactic to diffuse the OP's momentum. It probably also served to help the offender recharge his depleted "batteries" and possibly calm his nerves. It works for/against the pros and it appeared to work in this case as well.
.

[kylebarendrick]

Of course, the rule is that players can take restroom breaks at any time (although encouraged to wait for set breaks):

Toilet breaks are allowed when an
official determines that the need is genuine. They should be taken at set
breaks unless there is a true emergency, in which case the break preferably
is taken during an odd game changeover, but may be taken immediately.
(See Table 13 and USTA Regulation III.F.) Breaks taken at other times
should be limited to true emergencies. Gastrointestinal problems are medical
conditions that are governed by medical timeout provisions and not by the
toilet break provision.

[chatt_town]

I don't disagree with you there. What I'm saying though is me clowning about it only makes it worse. It's rec tennis at the end of the day and I don't like losing but I wouldn't clown a man's @$$ about it taking him more than x amount of minutes to take a leak. I mean who came up with that number? How many people actually have an official usta person to stand there and time the bathroom break. Furthermore, are we going to also send another to the restroom with him to make sure he doesn't get coached while going to take the leak. I mean if we had someone to enforce every rule that there is we would have USTA fees into the thousands as you'd have to pay officials to do a 1,000 things. All of those rules are well and fine, again...you have to use discretion in my opinion on which ones I'm going to enforce. For instance, I'm not going to give you three serves to get your serve in. ...but if you take 8 or 9 minutes to come back from the bathroom and the rule is 7, I'm not going to waste another 20 calling the coordinator so he can call New York and get someone on the phone(another 30 minutes) to biotch and moan about the 8 minute bathroom break some guy took. As badly as I want to win, I just can't bring myself to gripe about every rule in the book. That book(friendly courts or whatever) is how many pages long? I mean how much of that do you think really gets enforced on every match at a state tourney or better yet...how much of it do you think gets violated over a course of 3 days at a typical state tourney.

Originally Posted by SystemicAnomaly

^ No way it should take 7 minutes to take a leak unless the restrooms are 3 minutes away. It is rather naive to say that a 7 minute break would or should not make a difference. The 7 minute break appeared to be an intentional stall tactic to diffuse the OP's momentum. It probably also served to help the offender recharge his depleted "batteries" and possibly calm his nerves. It works for/against the pros and it appeared to work in this case as well.

[SystemicAnomaly]

^ Big difference between a 2-3 min break and a 7 min break. The latter would be rather obvious whether you (or a USTA official) were actually timing it or not. I would think that a player waiting to play a deciding match tiebreaker would become aware of an extended break w/o really timing it. My guess is that the extended break was premeditated for a specific, intentional purpose.

USTA tournaments and college matches will have at least one roving official on hand. For USTA league matches, this might not happen for every match during the season. I imagine that it does happen for playoffs, sectionals, etc.

[chatt_town]

and I say again...you are correct. I agree with you that it is blatant disreguard when a guy takes 7 minutes to take a leak. I also still say...what are you going to do about it? Are you going to lose the first 4 points of the tiebreak because you are worried that he did this? Let me give you an example of what could happen if you start moaning about those 4 or 5 minutes. Once a person sees he's under your skin now...he can then take what is it like two medical timeouts or something and claim seperate injuries or whatever...not sure of the exact rule but you get the point. Don't make it worse. 5 minutes is not going to make a difference as to you hitting the ball over the net. He still has to hit it over the net as well. I agree with all that you are saying...I just think if people would put the friendly book down took some serves while waiting, they would be in better shape when the guy came back out. Knowing the rule is going to do you know good if you can't use it to take a point but a couple of good first serves may help you.

Originally Posted by SystemicAnomaly

^ Big difference between a 2-3 min break and a 7 min break. The latter would be rather obvious whether you (or a USTA official) were actually timing it or not. I would think that a player waiting to play a deciding match tiebreaker would become aware of an extended break w/o really timing it. My guess is that the extended break was premeditated for a specific, intentional purpose.

USTA tournaments and college matches will have at least one roving official on hand. For USTA league matches, this might not happen for every match during the season. I imagine that it does happen for playoffs, sectionals, etc.

[woodrow1029]

And even a USTA official may not consider 7 minutes a blatant disregard depending on how far away the bathroom is.

[spot]

Woodrow- while on the topic of this what is the protocol for enforcing a time limit in an unofficiated match?

Lets say that in between the second and third sets someone disappears for 20 minutes and cannot be found when there is only supposed to be a 10 minute break in between sets. It regularly happens that people take more than 10 minutes and I've always been under the impression that there simply isn't anything that can be done about it and the time "limits" are really guidelines but I am curious to see if there would be a consequence at some point.

[woodrow1029]

Originally Posted by spot

Woodrow- while on the topic of this what is the protocol for enforcing a time limit in an unofficiated match?

Lets say that in between the second and third sets someone disappears for 20 minutes and cannot be found when there is only supposed to be a 10 minute break in between sets. It regularly happens that people take more than 10 minutes and I've always been under the impression that there simply isn't anything that can be done about it and the time "limits" are really guidelines but I am curious to see if there would be a consequence at some point.

It's a good question.

If by unofficiated match, you mean like a league match where there is literally no official present, it's hard. It is more of a guideline in that situation. I guess at the beginning of the 10 minute break, you can agree on the exact time it starts and time to be back, and that you agree to enforce the 10 minutes before it starts by the rules (1 game penalty up to 5 minutes late, and default after 5 minutes late). Other than that, there's not really much that can be done.

If you mean a tournament unofficiated match where there is no chair umpire, there should be a tournament referee that you can call when it gets close to the 10 minutes, of course, the referee may have to startt he clock then if he/she doesn't know the exact timing of when the 10 minutes started.

[LuckyR]

Did the lights go out due to a power surge?

[woodrow1029]

Originally Posted by LuckyR

Did the lights go out due to a power surge?

[chatt_town]

Honestly...I never knew the time. I just knew that we could take one. As I eluded to earlier though. I will pretty much go when i have to. There will have to be an official standing there to tell me I can't go or whatever...I mean one can be around at the other courts. I'm 44 and if I have to take a leak...I will go. Most of the time I will wait until the end of a set but I have let people go at 3-4 or whatever in the second. I just don't take it that serious. I mean I wouldn't do it and then tell someone else they can't go. In 10 years I've never had a problem of anyone asking me what took so long. So i think as long as it's reasonable then most people understand. Thanks though as I do need to know the rule in case I run into a person that knows more about the rules than how to keep score...lol

Originally Posted by woodrow1029

The bolded part is not true, unless this is about juniors, or if we are talking leagues and your local rules are different.

In adult and wheelchair tournaments, it's just a 2 minute setbreak between 2nd set and match tiebreak.

[woodrow1029]

Originally Posted by chatt_town

Honestly...I never knew the time. I just knew that we could take one. As I eluded to earlier though. I will pretty much go when i have to. There will have to be an official standing there to tell me I can't go or whatever...I mean one can be around at the other courts. I'm 44 and if I have to take a leak...I will go. Most of the time I will wait until the end of a set but I have let people go at 3-4 or whatever in the second. I just don't take it that serious. I mean I wouldn't do it and then tell someone else they can't go. In 10 years I've never had a problem of anyone asking me what took so long. So i think as long as it's reasonable then most people understand. Thanks though as I do need to know the rule in case I run into a person that knows more about the rules than how to keep score...lol

You're right that a player can take a toilet break, basically any time they want. I was just clarifying that the 3 minute rest period does not apply for adult matches. If you go to the bathroom, it definitely can take more than 2-3 minutes. But, in the 3 minute rest period that juniors are allowed, they can receive coaching. In adult tennis, you can't get coaching between 2nd set and match TB.

[IA-SteveB]

How a poop break can get to four pages is beyond me.