I played a guy today who would start every deuce serve with his back foot across the imaginary extension of the center line. He even still so close to the center mark on ad serves that I'm sure he crossed the center line often as well on those serves. This seems to give slightly more of a service advantage than foot faulting the baseline(unless you're a serve and volleyer) as you end up with more of the court on your forehand(for a righty).
Center line foot-faulting, more egregious than baseline foot faulting?
- Thread starter jacob22
- Start date
TagUrIt
Hall of Fame
Someone else asked the same question. By rule, it’s a foot fault. Now whether you want to call the person out on it is up to you.
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/does-isner-foot-fault-with-his-back-foot.154784/
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/does-isner-foot-fault-with-his-back-foot.154784/
My question wasn’t whether it was a violation. Btw, I didn’t call it but did politely point it out to him afterwards. Does it make more of a difference if I told that he aced me several times by serving down the T, something he tried to do often? I mean if he’s straddling the centerline, don’t I have less of a chance to get to the down the T serve than if he served from a wider position(where the ball would angle slightly toward me)?
TagUrIt
Hall of Fame
A truly good server can hit can serve all three from standing at that centerline. Down the T is one of the best serves because it’s the lowest part of net. Your ROS position is definitely up to you, I generally stand right in middle of the box at the baseline. Hell, even the pros get aced. I don’t think there is best position to stand to receive serve. I’m sure some will disagree with me.lol
tennis tom
Legend
ROS against a righty on deuce side, stand at the the intersection of the baseline and the singles sideline for dubs, one or two steps back for singles--approximately--varying with the variables of your opponent's and your abilities. On the ad side, stand a step to the right returning against a righty from the intersection of the baseline and the sideline. These locations change a step opposite ROS against a lefty. This info is much easier to comprehend when you're standing on the court and a coach is placing you in the right spots--you have to be a genius to learn how to play tennis from a book--and from advice on the internet : forget it!
dsp9753
Semi-Pro
A little bit off topic but I was playing a match where my partner (3.0 lady) served on the middle of the center line. One foot on each side of the line. My opponents tried to claim the point (2nd serve) as they called this a "fault". I argued that this is just a foot fault and USTA states you can't claim a foot fault until you have tried to warn the opponents first or get a line judge if available. It turned into a big argument including pulling out the rule book. But I successfully convinced my opponents this is just a foot fault even though she started serving in the wrong place. Is this the correct call?
I always understood a foot fault to be you start serving in the right area, but step/move into an illegal area during the serve. The rules weren't exactly clear about someone just starting in the wrong location. For example, is it a foot fault if you start inside the baseline? Is it a foot fault if you serve on the wrong side of the court? Etc.
I always understood a foot fault to be you start serving in the right area, but step/move into an illegal area during the serve. The rules weren't exactly clear about someone just starting in the wrong location. For example, is it a foot fault if you start inside the baseline? Is it a foot fault if you serve on the wrong side of the court? Etc.
schmke
Legend
To answer the OP question, if the server is straddling the center hash, yes, that gives them more opportunity to serve up the T or hit a slider up the T that tails away from the receiver. But it also hampers their ability to serve out wide. So it is just a trade-off for the server and the receiver can move their receiving location to compensate.
A baseline foot-fault is instead just giving the server an advantage, there is no trade-off for them, so I'd say baseline foot-faulting is more egregious.
A baseline foot-fault is instead just giving the server an advantage, there is no trade-off for them, so I'd say baseline foot-faulting is more egregious.
r2473
G.O.A.T.
To finish the analysis, you'd want to consider "potential" vs. "actual" advantage.
Simply put, most people at the level we are discussing lack the ability to "actually" capitalize on the potential advantage created.
And even if your opponent is somewhat able to actually take advantage, for me, that would be fine. Afterall, I'm not play Djokovic. The margins in my matches aren't razor thin where this type of thing really matters (though I may imagine it was THE deciding factor in the match if I lose). The matches I play have margins that are big enough to drive a semi truck through, if I had the ability to take advantage of those.
In other words, the real reason I lose to "crappy" players is because I'm even worse, not because they step an inch over the center hash when serving.
Well, I was playing a 4.0 guy with a topspin serve that he likely to place down the T on the deuce side and wide and down the T on the ad sides. He missed a lot but when it's in, it was often an ace.
