Is it bad manners to fire a return of serve at the net player?

[beernutz]

Originally Posted by Say Chi Sin Lo

I already mentioned I'd hardly ever do it, and if there was another shot for me to hit, I would.

One circumstance where I'll NEVER beam it at the net person is, returning a floating serve. Call it being naive, soft, or whatever (I've been criticized as so by my doubles expert friends), but I'm not about to punish the net person for something s/he had no control over. (Except pick a better partner, haha)

If you are not going to "punish" someone's doubles partner for the mistakes, including but not limited to floating serves, made by their partner then you are giving away too many free points and ultimately punishing your own partner. IMO anyway.

[Govnor]

Originally Posted by kylebarendrick

I'd do it off a floating serve. I'm not punishing the net player, I'm punishing their team. If I can drive the server's partner back to the baseline I'll do it. This assumes it is a league match of course...

"It's a league match, Smokey."

[fleabitten]

Originally Posted by westside

Obviously if you're playing mixed, NEVER do it.

Well, unless you are firing at someone better than you.

[Anyone4tennis?]

If you're playing with a baseball, I would say yes, because a baseball could seriously hurt someone, but a tennis ball? I don't think that anything that is done within the rules should be deemed bad manners.

[Anyone4tennis?]

. . . but then again, what goes around comes around. You could become a sitting duck at the net the next time a short ball lands on the opposite side of the court, and then it will be payback time!

[omega4]

Originally Posted by Anyone4tennis?

If you're playing with a baseball, I would say yes, because a baseball could seriously hurt someone, but a tennis ball? I don't think that anything that is done within the rules should be deemed bad manners.

I think someone who has been hit with a heavy ball in the face at the net dead on might beg to differ with your assertion.

[NTexas]

If you are at net you better be ready, its just part of the game. I like hitting at the body cause it sure makes for a tough volley.

[Brian11785]

I'll reiterate everyone else's consensus:

Competitive play....no mercy.
Non-competitive play....don't go out of your way to make enemies.

I usually apologize when I catch a cross-court return late and hit it hard at the net person (particularly if I'm playing mixed.) But on conscious alley returns or the occasional hard "back the eff up" returns at the person, I never do.)

[MeHere2PlayTennis]

I think its completely okay as long as it works at any level. I would be careful not to use this is in social mixed matches, as you might be called a head hunter.

[Timbo's hopeless slice]

lol, it's more or less suicide at my level...

[LuckyR]

Originally Posted by omega4

I think someone who has been hit with a heavy ball in the face at the net dead on might beg to differ with your assertion.

Yes, but has anyone actually done that from the baseline? Not among my competition.

[tbuggle]

it's bad manners to gripe about getting hit at, especially from the baseline.

head-hunting is a different thing altogether.

[gameboy]

Originally Posted by omega4

I think someone who has been hit with a heavy ball in the face at the net dead on might beg to differ with your assertion.

I have been hit in my groin, face, ears, you name it, I have been hit there by serves, overheads, whatever.

I have also been hit in my face with a hard softball grounder.

Getting hit by something hard like a softball/baseball, will get you injured. Getting hit by a tennis ball is nothing. I don't get all the whining around here about getting hit. People think they hit MUCH harder than they actually do.

If getting hit by tennis balls caused real injuries (other than freak kind), the pros would all be wearing goggles and other protective gear.

[lostinamerica]

It is part of the game. If you are afraid of getting hit, then back up. As your opponent, it is not my job to make you happy. I've been hit countless times and hit opponents countless times. While so many of you play for just fun, I play to win because winning is fun. If it means hitting a ball so hot your opponent can't handle it to win, it is perfectly legal and legitimate nor is it bad manners.

I wholly agree with Gameboy, people hit the ball much softer than they think.

Maybe many will think I take the game to serious but if winning and losing does not matter, why do we keep score?

[LeeD]

Just to knock on wood, I've NEVER ever been hit by a return of serve, and I played doubles up to 5.5 tournament levels, and down to my normal 3.5, of course.
I've been hit by overheads, yes.
I've had partner's who serve 50 mph slice serves to the forehand of a former singles player for CalPoly, he at 6'5" and 220lbs., and fit at 27. He goes for me, I deflect it for a loser mostly, and mishit it for a winner, which BOTH make me a better player in the long run. Nobody else would ever hit a short forehand that hard at a net player, but I often kick my serves to his eyes, and volley to his size 15 feet.
Kinda makes it even actually.

[v-verb]

Originally Posted by omega4

I think someone who has been hit with a heavy ball in the face at the net dead on might beg to differ with your assertion.

My wife is an Optometrist. Few years ago she treated a tennis coach who was hit by a tennis ball to the eye.

Tennis balls have a nasty habit of compressing into the eye socket and doing irreversible damage. The coach lost sight in that eye permanently.

I never fire at anyone intentionally. I'm no pro, it's supposed to be friendly competition.

[LeeD]

Probably the coach was not playing a doubles match at the time.
Very few players get hit in the face, as the body has a natural reflex action to protect head parts, and certain body parts.
Coach was probably feeding balls or otherwise distracted, and a stray ball came his way out of his sightline.
If you're good enough to play net position, your reflexes will protect your face.
If you don't belong up at net because you can't volley or defend yourself, well, maybe you shouldn't be there and you placed yourself in harms way....your fault.

[v-verb]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Probably the coach was not playing a doubles match at the time.
Very few players get hit in the face, as the body has a natural reflex action to protect head parts, and certain body parts.
Coach was probably feeding balls or otherwise distracted, and a stray ball came his way out of his sightline.
If you're good enough to play net position, your reflexes will protect your face.
If you don't belong up at net because you can't volley or defend yourself, well, maybe you shouldn't be there and you placed yourself in harms way....your fault.

Actually I think that is what happened - he got hit from the side. You're completely correct.

I'm gun shy so to speak, having pummeled my woman partner last season with a errant server to the kidney. She went down and crawled to the end of the court and stayed there for over 10 minutes.

Hitting someone completely takes the fun out of it for me - unless it's a super pr!ck of an opponent

[gameboy]

Look, you could go jogging, trip over something, hit your head on the sidewalk and die. Everything you do can result in "shooting your eye out".

The chance of Losing your eye during a tennis match so remote that it would be more productive to worry about the tax you will pay when you win the next lottery. You can roll over your ankle reaching wide or behind for a ball FAR more often. Does that mean we should all refrain from hitting the ball away from the opponent because that if FAR more likely to injure your opponent than hitting right at them?

If you are on the court, you can/will get hit. It is part of the game. Trust me, it won't hurt in 99.9999% of the case. Just play the game.

[Overdrive]

Originally Posted by gameboy

Look, you could go jogging, trip over something, hit your head on the sidewalk and die. Everything you do can result in "shooting your eye out".

Losing your eye during a tennis match so remote that it is not even worth discussing. You can roll over your ankle reaching wide or behind for a ball FAR more often. Does that mean we should all refrain from hitting the ball away from the opponent?

If you are on the court, you can/will get hit. It is part of the game. Trust me, it won't hurt in 99.9999% of the case. Just play the game.

That's why I don't play with my mixed partner anymore because she was scared of getting hit with the ball...

Ridiculous.