I thought this could be a thread where we can discuss lesser known tennis rules. I can start this by describing something that just happened to me, and I did not know what the official rule is.
I served the ball and fell on the court, ultimately rolling over. Fortunately my opponent hit a winner on the return so there wasn't much confusion. However, what is the official USTA rule on an incident like that?
1. Can my opponent call a hindrance and win the point immediately?
2. Can my opponent call a let immediately?
3. What happens if he is distracted and hits an error? What if he hits a sitter that I subsequently put away?
4. Can I call a let or fault? I think if a ball flies out of your pocket or a hat falls off your head you can call a let the first time and lose the point outright the 2nd time.
5. Something else?
Also, there is probably some type of official USTA rule, but has anyone seen this happen before in a competitive environment? If so, did they follow the USTA rules or do something else? I guess my biggest concern in terms of fair play is addressing the distraction a returner has and accidentally hitting an error or sitter that loses him the point. That doesn't seem right, but who knows?!
I served the ball and fell on the court, ultimately rolling over. Fortunately my opponent hit a winner on the return so there wasn't much confusion. However, what is the official USTA rule on an incident like that?
1. Can my opponent call a hindrance and win the point immediately?
2. Can my opponent call a let immediately?
3. What happens if he is distracted and hits an error? What if he hits a sitter that I subsequently put away?
4. Can I call a let or fault? I think if a ball flies out of your pocket or a hat falls off your head you can call a let the first time and lose the point outright the 2nd time.
5. Something else?
Also, there is probably some type of official USTA rule, but has anyone seen this happen before in a competitive environment? If so, did they follow the USTA rules or do something else? I guess my biggest concern in terms of fair play is addressing the distraction a returner has and accidentally hitting an error or sitter that loses him the point. That doesn't seem right, but who knows?!