How do you handle a cheating opponent?
- Thread starter vudal
- Start date
LoveThisGame
Professional
What form of cheating is it?
tennismike33
Semi-Pro
If you are playing in a practice match then call the person on it.
Tournament play is different. The tournament director is available for you to approach and ask for a line judge.
Tournament play is different. The tournament director is available for you to approach and ask for a line judge.
Sakkijarvi
Semi-Pro
I approach it in the same manner as a referee making a bad call. You get on their case, hopefully influencing the next call(s) to go 'your way'. Of course, this assumes the ref isn't technically 'cheating', but works on human nature.
When I'm in a match and see strange stuff starting to happen, if I feel it may influence the outcome I'll take action, verbally asking the old "are you sure'...but then pressing for a mark. Second time it's a nice loud, "come on!" Throw in a stare down, and finally a "what are you effing kidding me" and all but the most hard core cheater will back down. And since compared to my, um, 'other sport' buddies, tennis guys are wuss city, they usually back down.
Except the lawyers, they're sometimes out to play head games as that what's they enjoy about tennis. I just played one of those this week. Had an unusual experience too. The dude, a strange one that I am newly playing, hits a little floater, short, that he chooses to come in behind for some reason. I approach, racquet back for a smash, and he hits the dirt, fetal position, I mean ON THE FLOOR, covering up.
I tap it off to the side and walk back to my baseline.
Earlier in the match he made a call which he persisted in hotly disputing. I had come in and hit a winner, hitting the ball cleanly on my side of the net. My racquet carried over the net after contact, not touching it. He calls, from well behind HIS baseline, 'you went over the net...my point!' Then asks, "did you touch the net?"
I replied, "I didn't make a call, did I?" Then explained that I did not touch the net, nor hit the ball while on his side of the net. And that it was my call to make in any case and I made the correct call, a non call. He then went on, "but you admitted your racquet went over the net" to which I said, "sure, doesn't mean a thing".
To make a long story short, guy wouldn't accept that I had:
a) Recently read in Tennis mag about this very call.
b) Know the rule.
c) Up on rules that while he can question my call, it is my call, and swinging beyond the plane of the net without contact is not an infraction.
The guy is a bankruptcy lawyer and stuck to his 'guns'...has "the rules" "printed out at home and studied them" and all that. Finally, without us coming to an agreement, stands up and serves without another word.
A cheater? No, I did not think so in this guy's case. Just another twerp that has made the athletic choice between bowling and tennis and chose the latter...
Sakki
When I'm in a match and see strange stuff starting to happen, if I feel it may influence the outcome I'll take action, verbally asking the old "are you sure'...but then pressing for a mark. Second time it's a nice loud, "come on!" Throw in a stare down, and finally a "what are you effing kidding me" and all but the most hard core cheater will back down. And since compared to my, um, 'other sport' buddies, tennis guys are wuss city, they usually back down.
Except the lawyers, they're sometimes out to play head games as that what's they enjoy about tennis. I just played one of those this week. Had an unusual experience too. The dude, a strange one that I am newly playing, hits a little floater, short, that he chooses to come in behind for some reason. I approach, racquet back for a smash, and he hits the dirt, fetal position, I mean ON THE FLOOR, covering up.
I tap it off to the side and walk back to my baseline.
Earlier in the match he made a call which he persisted in hotly disputing. I had come in and hit a winner, hitting the ball cleanly on my side of the net. My racquet carried over the net after contact, not touching it. He calls, from well behind HIS baseline, 'you went over the net...my point!' Then asks, "did you touch the net?"
I replied, "I didn't make a call, did I?" Then explained that I did not touch the net, nor hit the ball while on his side of the net. And that it was my call to make in any case and I made the correct call, a non call. He then went on, "but you admitted your racquet went over the net" to which I said, "sure, doesn't mean a thing".
To make a long story short, guy wouldn't accept that I had:
a) Recently read in Tennis mag about this very call.
b) Know the rule.
c) Up on rules that while he can question my call, it is my call, and swinging beyond the plane of the net without contact is not an infraction.
The guy is a bankruptcy lawyer and stuck to his 'guns'...has "the rules" "printed out at home and studied them" and all that. Finally, without us coming to an agreement, stands up and serves without another word.
A cheater? No, I did not think so in this guy's case. Just another twerp that has made the athletic choice between bowling and tennis and chose the latter...
Sakki
Raiden.Kaminari
Semi-Pro
Never cheat back. It's not worth it.
If the person wants to cheat to win, it means that you've beaten them already.
Play within the rules ... call the tournament director, or roving umpire if it's an official event.
Social match ... ask, "are you sure?" a couple of times. Then try to hit the player. (Ball touches them, your point ... end of story).
League match ... "ask are you sure?" once. Then try to hit the player.
Cheating is more rampant at the lower NTRP levels. So here is what you do:
1. Hit a short ball to bring them to net.
2. Once there, hit a body shot (as long as it's still in)
3. Be prepared to run down a lucky volley return. Your choice again would be to give them another body shot, lob them (be prepared for an out call), or hit a ball softly into a corner that they're not in (make sure it's well "in"). Note: Never aim for alleys on doubles ...
If they ask if you're doing it intentionally (the body shots), just say, "I'm trying to make sure my balls are in." :grin:
migjam
Professional
Very nice... I like that.
tennismike33
Semi-Pro
One of the best things to do if you know the person has in the past hooked you or has a reputation of a hooker mention to him/her during the warm up that you will be calling the lines as good, wil he/she??? The reason I am asking this is becasue I want to make sure we both are on the same page.
migjam
Professional
Nah, forget that. I like Raiden.Kaminari's method... DRILL THEM!
Nothing like picking off the weak return!
GRANITECHIEF
Hall of Fame
If a guy calls one of my balls out that i see was clearly in, i say,
"Ahh, i see how you want to play this match eh, So we are calling balls on the line, or 2 inches inside the line like the one i just hit, out? Are you sure you want to play that way, because i would prefer to play fairly."
"Ahh, i see how you want to play this match eh, So we are calling balls on the line, or 2 inches inside the line like the one i just hit, out? Are you sure you want to play that way, because i would prefer to play fairly."
I hope you would only do this if they made multiple bad calls, because everyone makes bad calls every now and then.
One time I was playing doubles and I called something out deep in the corner of the court, and the guy who hit it seemed surprised and made some comment that I couldn't exactly hear, but he didn't directly accuse me of making a bad call. During the next point he aimed and slammed a shot right at me, which I felt was in retaliation for my last call, but I can't be certain. If he would've questioned my call when I made it, I would've immediately overturned it, because it was so close that its possible I was wrong, but instead I get the impression he thought I did it on purpose.
Sakkijarvi
Semi-Pro
You start drilling me with balls I'm going to come across the net and kick your ass.
Sakkijarvi
Semi-Pro
You cheat I'm going to chew you out.
migjam
Professional
Go for it.
GRANITECHIEF
Hall of Fame
Definitely only if its blatent and i see a clear pattern developing.
GRANITECHIEF
Hall of Fame
First of all, how did you know that i often ride my ass from the barnyard to the court. Second of all, kicking my ass would be cruelty to animals. Thirdly, my ass would probably kick you back and he kicks almost as hard as a horse!
Really though, if you get drilled, its probably your own fault.
Raiden.Kaminari
Semi-Pro
Which would lead to a suspension if you play USTA tennis. Threatening physical violance will lead to a ban.
So, the only way to get back at the player who is drilling you, is to drill them.
Acceptable within the rules of the game.
Then the match gets decided by who can dodge the out ball better :grin:
beernutz
Hall of Fame
Bring it on. Do you carry your Glock in your tennis bag too?
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
You wanna know how you do it? Here's how, they hook you, you hook them twice. He makes a bad call, you take it right back. That's the TW way, and that's how you get Justice! Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that?
I usually stare them down, and that's about it. Mainly I feel sorry for them. If your life sucks so much that you have to cheat in an amateur tennis match ... well, whatever.
If it's a team thing, though, it's different. I haven't called a line judge, but I've threatened to. That worked.
If it's a team thing, though, it's different. I haven't called a line judge, but I've threatened to. That worked.
freelancer
Rookie
I have a friend that handles is in a way that I think is fair. The first time he thinks he gets a bad line call he asks, "are you sure?" When they say , "yes" I says, "Ok, that's 1." Next time he he says, "Ok, that's 2." I've never seen him get to 3 before, so I'm not sure what happens, but it makes the other guy think really hard about calling that 3rd ball out. That and it gives the guy 2 calls worth of "human nature calls."
Gamemanship at the highest level...but I like it. Talk about 'getting inside someone's head'.
Raiden.Kaminari
Semi-Pro
Hmmm ... by #3 I'm usually pegging the other player no matter where they run (or drop shotting them if they try to run).
