Does anyone share this pet peeve?

happyloman

Semi-Pro
I'm sure I'm not the only one, but those who do not share this pet peeve might find it hard to understand.

Just trying to get a feel of the average poster's opinion on this.

On changeovers, I always like to hand any remaining tennis balls (in my shorts' pockets) to the upcoming server when we meet at the net.

My pet peeve is when the other player scatters the ball to the back fence instead of doing the same (when I am the upcoming server).

And, sometimes the ball scattering is performed with an imperiousness and insolence ( this is subjective)

Less disrespectful is when the player drops the ball at the service line.

Overall, though, I think it's courteous to hand the balls over at the net.

I've observed that when the other player lose a highly contested game, the ball scattering happens more

So am I in the minority here?
 

WisconsinPlayer

Professional
Its definitely more respectful to hand over the balls at the net, but no one really expects you to, and its not considered rude if you dont. Personally when its an intense match I just like to remain focused and not interact with the other player at all unless needed, so Ill just drop the ball out of my pocket while walking to switch sides
 

WisconsinPlayer

Professional
Yeah, scattering the balls is a joke, but usually means I'm in control. I will gather up what I can and place them at the service line. I don't like handing balls over, so this seems to be the polite version to me.
agreed, but i dont go out of my way to gather them either. If theyre at the back wall where he will be walking Ill leave them, and if I have one in my pocket ill drop it near the service line. I dislike when people hit the ball after a game to the side of the court away from where Id normally walk
 

milk of amnesia

Hall of Fame
There seems to be more gamesmanship in handing off the balls to the opponents than in any other aspect of the sport. I've had opponents hit each ball to random areas of the court after a game instead of hitting them to me. I've had opponents come to the net and act like they are going to hand them off but as soon as I hold out my hand, they throw the balls right at my feet or behind me. I've had opponents hit the balls into the net and then expect me to get them; people can just be complete jerks when they are losing.
 
Indirectly this is an indication of your opponent,s weakness / insecurity ..... annoying to watch grown men having to resort to these juvenile antics ..


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NTRPolice

Hall of Fame
I dont like to hand my opponents the balls because I try to minimize interaction with them. I'm "one of those". For me, during a match, it's strictly business. In matches I usually just leave the balls by the closest net post or on the bench so they're easily picked up by my opponents.

Of course if it's a social match with a bunch of old ladies or something ill take the time to shag the balls for them so they have all 3 on the change over. In a league match ill only shag balls on my side of the court and bring it to the net/bench. My partner should shag the ones on his/her side of the court if they care about being nice. :p
 

MathGeek

Hall of Fame
I leave them at the baseline and prefer the same.

I like to spend my changeover time grabbing a drink of water and formulating strategy. Not that I mind much putting the balls in my pockets, but I'd rather not have the distraction. Sometimes I point to a spot for an opponent to set them rather than take them from his hands that instant.
 

Mr.Lob

G.O.A.T.
If I have one of two balls I'll carry with me and hand them over or place on bench. if all 3 I'll sometimes leave at service line. But if serving Ill collect the ones behind me on changeover.
 

NTRPolice

Hall of Fame
Placing balls on the bench is not optimal, if bags aren't already on them and someone sits on them, it's another area that the ball can get lost in, and is worse then having damp balls from sweaty pockets.

The bench is somewhere the players congregate. It's almost always a central hub, whereas the service line isnt. Besides, i've seen VERY FEW people who actually place the balls on the service line. Usually it ends up being one ball on/near the service line and the other one on the back fence, and the other half way into the court. Or, it's only two balls on the service line and the other is nowhere to be seen.

If I put the balls on the bench by your stuff, you can just put it in your pocket or hand them off to your partner if they're in the way. The balls are going to end up in your pocket. It's not the same thing as with opponents hogging the bench with their bags or bottles.
 

Moveforwardalways

Hall of Fame
The proper etiquette is to leave all three balls at the baseline near the center service marker. This does not mean scattered along the back fence or randomly placed around. Three balls in a tight aggregate at the baseline. Nobody wants to be handed 3 balls and have to hold them while they are trying to grab water or a towel.
 
...The bench is somewhere the players congregate.

The service line, (correction: I mean the baseline), is where the server will serve from and he's the one who needs the balls. The bench is where the balls are the most likely to get lost and forgotten. All the players "stuff" is there, cluttering the area with open bags to accidentally fall into, amongst, underneath and behind--jackets, sweaters, warm-ups, coolers, team mates, coaches, friends and families, parole agents, social workers, psychiatrists, skateboards, bicycles, golf carts, wheel chairs, Teslas, Priuses, and last but not least, empty tennis ball sleeves that gobble up balls. The bench is likely the WORST place to bring a tennis ball to until the match is over--I do like it when the previous posse off the court, leaves their balls on the tea tray for additional warm-up balls and for my practice bag.
 
Last edited:

pc1

G.O.A.T.
I'm sure I'm not the only one, but those who do not share this pet peeve might find it hard to understand.

Just trying to get a feel of the average poster's opinion on this.

On changeovers, I always like to hand any remaining tennis balls (in my shorts' pockets) to the upcoming server when we meet at the net.

My pet peeve is when the other player scatters the ball to the back fence instead of doing the same (when I am the upcoming server).

And, sometimes the ball scattering is performed with an imperiousness and insolence ( this is subjective)

Less disrespectful is when the player drops the ball at the service line.

Overall, though, I think it's courteous to hand the balls over at the net.

I've observed that when the other player lose a highly contested game, the ball scattering happens more

So am I in the minority here?
I prefer the balls handed to me of course but it is no big deal to me if it's scattered around. Usually the guys I play with pick up the balls and toss it to me whether they are on the other side of the net or my doubles partner.
 

NTRPolice

Hall of Fame
The service line is where the server will serve from and he's the one who needs the balls. The bench is where the balls are the most likely to get lost and forgotten. All the players "stuff" is there, cluttering the area with open bags to accidentally fall into, amongst, underneath and behind--jackets, sweaters, warm-ups, coolers, team mates, coaches, friends and families, parole agents, social workers, psychiatrists, skateboards, bicycles, golf carts, wheel chairs, Teslas, Priuses, and last but not least, empty tennis ball sleeves that gobble up balls. The bench is likely the WORST place to bring a tennis ball to until the match is over--I do like it when the previous posse off the court, leaves their balls on the tea tray for additional warm-up balls and for my practice bag.

Yes, but the service line isnt necessarily where the serving team may pass after the game ends. Both teams will pass by their bags, or at least the closest part of the net when the server is walking to the service line, or the net person is walking to the service box. I suppose an exception could be if you're playing singles and sitting on benches on opposite ends of the net, but that's rare.

Leaving the balls on the service line is more "tradition" than practical. Yes, you're inconveniencing yourself to set the next server up. However, a better place to leave your opponents the balls is closest to the benches at the net, or on the bench, or giving the balls to them directly.
 

LeftyJunk

Rookie
Or how about when you ace your opponent or hit a winner pass them for the final point before a change over and they walk straight for their bags not picking up the ball(s) they will need to serve after the change over. I will pick up the balls once for them and tell them that I didn't take up this sport to play fetch for them. When it happens a second time (which has happened only once) they only get two balls to serve with unless they walk around and get it themselves. I'm not a golden retriever!
 

WisconsinPlayer

Professional
Or how about when you ace your opponent or hit a winner pass them for the final point before a change over and they walk straight for their bags not picking up the ball(s) they will need to serve after the change over. I will pick up the balls once for them and tell them that I didn't take up this sport to play fetch for them. When it happens a second time (which has happened only once) they only get two balls to serve with unless they walk around and get it themselves. I'm not a golden retriever!
If it isnt on their way to their bag or atleast near them, they shouldnt have to pick it up imo. Youll be going to that side next and youll be walking towards the ball so then you could hit the ball to him.
 

LeftyJunk

Rookie
If it isnt on their way to their bag or atleast near them, they shouldnt have to pick it up imo. Youll be going to that side next and youll be walking towards the ball so then you could hit the ball to him.
So you're telling me that they can't take the time to pick up the ball(s) that they will need to serve with after the change over? Ridiculous
 

WisconsinPlayer

Professional
So you're telling me that they can't take the time to pick up the ball(s) that they will need to serve with after the change over? Ridiculous
I dont see why they should have to when youll be walking to that side soon anyways. If they hit a ball into the net on game point, then they should pick it up. But if its in the back corner, it would be out of their way to get it.
 

TTMR

Hall of Fame
While this is indeed a pet peeve of mine, a far greater one I have is players not returning the ball to me after I've hit an ace/service winner. It doesn't matter if I still have two balls on my side--I want that one. My serve, my call, my ball.
 

WisconsinPlayer

Professional
They will need it (not me). Is as much out of my way as it is theirs.
Not really, you will be walking toward the ball while he is walking towards his baseline getting ready to serve. Rather than you walking toward the chair, and hes walking away, and then turning around to go to his chair. Depending where the ball/balls are he will get 20+ seconds less time to rest between games
 

happyloman

Semi-Pro
Or how about when you ace your opponent or hit a winner pass them for the final point before a change over and they walk straight for their bags not picking up the ball(s) they will need to serve after the change over. I will pick up the balls once for them and tell them that I didn't take up this sport to play fetch for them. When it happens a second time (which has happened only once) they only get two balls to serve with unless they walk around and get it themselves. I'm not a golden retriever!

I really hate this too.
 

Cindysphinx

G.O.A.T.
All right. I'm going to settle this once and for all. If you all just follow my lead, we will have a sensible way of handling this.

**Henceforth, all players will leave balls on the court in plain view, preferably on the server's side, preferably at the baseline, but net or service line is fine too.**

The reason we will not hand them to the next server is that the server may not want the balls until he/she is ready to serve. We do not want balls in sweaty pockets or against sweat thighs any more than is necessary.

The other reason is that we do not ever want balls on the bench. They wind up in someone's bag, they wind up mixed in with practice balls.

The other reason is that we don't want two hours of asking one another where the balls are.

Just so you know, I learned this protocol when I began playing mixed. Women seem to like to hand the balls to someone; guys in mixed just drop them in the middle of the court. This seemed sensible, and in my experience it results in fewer lost balls.

Makes sense, so let's all do it, shall we?
 
D

Deleted member 23235

Guest
i don't usually hand them over to my opponent. i'll normally drop them on the baseline or service line.

however if you hand them to me, i usually do likewise.

regarding folks who scatter the ball.... it's similar to the folks that don't hit the ball to me,.. or the folks that hit the ball to you while your back is turned. to me it just shows how classless/self centered they are... but since i've been dealing with it since i was a kid, i just learned to ignore (but i take notice)
 
All right. I'm going to settle this once and for all. If you all just follow my lead, we will have a sensible way of handling this.

**Henceforth, all players will leave balls on the court in plain view, preferably on the server's side, preferably at the baseline, but net or service line is fine too.**

The reason we will not hand them to the next server is that the server may not want the balls until he/she is ready to serve. We do not want balls in sweaty pockets or against sweat thighs any more than is necessary.

The other reason is that we do not ever want balls on the bench. They wind up in someone's bag, they wind up mixed in with practice balls.

The other reason is that we don't want two hours of asking one another where the balls are.

Just so you know, I learned this protocol when I began playing mixed. Women seem to like to hand the balls to someone; guys in mixed just drop them in the middle of the court. This seemed sensible, and in my experience it results in fewer lost balls.

Makes sense, so let's all do it, shall we?
This is great advice. I can't tell you how many times I've gone back to serve and all the sudden we're searching for a ball that's on (or near) the bench. I also don't want you to hand me the balls, because I want a drink and shorts are getting tighter these days (I.e. I don't like sitting down with balls in my pockets) LEAVE THEM INSIDE THE LINES.
 

TenS_Ace

Professional
I leave them in a triangle shape right at the baseline. Its courteous and it also reminds me of the laser in Predator which is a bonus.
I try to stack the balls..yes all three one on top of each other into the opponents service and I fail so many times...the opponent usually ends up swearing and cussing at me for wasting so much time!! But it seems funny at the time :rolleyes:
 

Bluefan75

Professional
I've always found it illogical for someone to carry the balls to the bench area to give them to me to carry back to the service line. I always tell them just leave them there. And sometimes a ball is against the back fence. Big deal. I just grab it. One of them will end up there anyway once I decide which ones I am playing that point with.

My bigger pet peeve are the people who insist on keeping the third ball on them when I'm serving. Sometimes I'll tell them I have two and not to worry about the other one, but otherwise, keep the balls on the server's side of the court.
 

kevrol

Hall of Fame
I'll either leave them at the service line or hand them over on the changeover. Once had an opponent where after my service game it was time to change ends. He took the balls in his pocket and rolled them to the back fence. Then when the changeover was done asked me to get the balls he just scattered so he could serve. Not that's something worth having a pet peeve over.
 

Dso

Semi-Pro
Damn. I never even gave this much thought either way. Usually when we switch we are just trying to figure out who still has balls in their pockets!
 

kylebarendrick

Professional
Just so you know, I learned this protocol when I began playing mixed. Women seem to like to hand the balls to someone; guys in mixed just drop them in the middle of the court. This seemed sensible, and in my experience it results in fewer lost balls.
I'd say your experience is accurate. When I play mixed with my wife (I know, bad idea) I'll leave the balls on the baseline when I'm done serving. She'll then walk back there, pick them up, and bring them to the other players - giving me the evil eye the whole time...
 

ZirkusAffe

Semi-Pro
whatever is being done I just hope it's consistent.. if you're going to hand them to me great, if you're going to leave them near the baseline or service line, sweet, if they are going to be where ever back of the fence/curtain awesome just be consistent.
Sometimes they give them to you, then the next time they are on the bench, then one is at the service line for my partner and two near the baseline, or maybe none of it... I don't have OCD but sheesh, just keep me guessing where the balls are going to be every time, please.
I like to leave them at baseline every time, my partner brings them to the net and hands two to the server and one to the other player it's no big deal at all but sometimes the whole exchange is a little disjointed especially if someone was just broken or someone changes scores or a player walks the other way around and doesn't take a break between changes... leaving them designated in the same area seems efficient.
 
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