courtesy for returning the tennis ball

[yogisri]

Recently I was playing on outdoor clay courts and on the court next me there were four people playing doubles. There balls frequently kept coming to our court and I just rolled the ball back with my tennis racket back to their court.
One of the players on the double's court was annoyed and said, "let me show you how to return a tennis ball".
He bent over, picked up the ball and tossed it up to me.
Is this is the correct protocol? I mean, I don't mind doing this once or twice but why should I have to bend over and feed them balls at their waist height when they don't even apologize for hitting the balls in our court?

 

[LeeD]

1. They should say "sorry".
2. Pick up the ball with your racket, then one bounce it at stop of play to the player looking at you.
3. If they don't say sorry, or don't look at you, then you're free to power the ball into their court, or beyond....

 

[heninfan99]

that's funny as hell

Recently I was playing on outdoor clay courts and on the court next me there were four people playing doubles. There balls frequently kept coming to our court and I just rolled the ball back with my tennis racket back to their court.
One of the players on the double's court was annoyed and said, "let me show you how to return a tennis ball".
He bent over, picked up the ball and tossed it up to me.
Is this is the correct protocol? I mean, I don't mind doing this once or twice but why should I have to bend over and feed them balls at their waist height when they don't even apologize for hitting the balls in our court?

 

[dman72]

If a ball rolls on my court I usually flick it up to the person if they have stopped play..I'm pretty good at getting an easily handled waist high ball with this.

If a ball is rolling on my court while the offending players are playing a point, it goes to the fence behind them out of harms way.

If they are "tennis elite" and just keep their aimless ball bashing going while their balls are rolling all over the place, I put the ball wherever I feel like at the time. These are the guys who really p*** me off.

 

[Uncoil]

Next time, lock eyes with the player you intend to give the ball back to and hit it in a totally different direction. That will show them.

 

[Topspin Shot]

Haha, jerks will be jerks.

 

[rkelley]

I'm with OP. If it's an occasional thing thing then I'd wait and toss the ball back when they're looking. If it's happening frequently (and granted occasionally and frequently are subjective), then I would just start gently rolling them back either to the back fence or the base of the net unless they were looking right at me when I got their ball in which case I'd gently flip it back to them. An occasionally "sorry" for the high frequency would be nice, but I don't mind rolling them back. It happens.

If the person gave me lip like what you heard, then I'd tell him happy to oblige, but I expect you to stop your play, wait, and be ready to receive the ball whenever I get to it (I might want to finish my rally or point) because the interruption of your ball coming onto my court is becoming too frequent for me to stop and wait for you every time it happens. I didn't come here to be your ball boy. If you aren't looking at me when I get to your ball, then I'm rolling it somewhere back to your court where no one should trip on it.

 

[sabala]

He tossed you his ball back? Lol, stick it in your pocket and say, "Here - let me show you how to keep balls in YOUR OWN COURT!" and go back to playing.

 

[cjs]

There balls frequently kept coming to our court and I just rolled the ball back with my tennis racket back to their court.
One of the players on the double's court was annoyed and said, "let me show you how to return a tennis ball".
He bent over, picked up the ball and tossed it up to me.

That dude is rude.

Next time his ball came on to my court it would end up in outer space.

I've never encountered someone like that.

 

[BMC9670]

There is etiquette, and then there is just being an a**hole. This guy was the latter.

Here's one for you: a couple years ago I was on a court with my 2 kids doing basket drills - 6 public courts in pairs. We were on one of the pairs and the other 2 pairs were wide open. So, we're drilling away with balls all over the place and these two guys roll up.... TO THE COURT RIGHT NEXT TO US!?! I politely say they may want to move to an empty pair of courts, and one of them says, condescendingly, that they always play on this court because it has the best net. WTF? The other nets were just fine.

So, they warm up and start playing and sure enough, the first ball that rolls into their court, he yells at the top of his lungs "LET!" with the most annoying glare and flicks the ball back.

I thought about tearing into him (and would have loved to), but having my kids there, I just smiled and said "Thanks!" and continued our session. After a few more balls rolled over, they begrudgingly moved to an open court.

 

[Flatballs]

I get balls rolling onto my court all the time playing pennant cos we all play next to each other at the same time.

If a ball rolls on during a point, as frustrating as it is, someone calls "ball on court" and the point is replayed. If its between first and second serve, then its "take 2".

If the other court and playing out a point, the ball is rolled/tapped to the backfence behind them. If not, then its rolled, tapped to the server who will raise their hand.

 

[oble]

Curious as to how that player could get so annoyed at needing to bend over to pick up a ball that you rolled back. Dropped the soap before? :lol:

Anyway, common courtesy is to pass the ball back to whoever is waiting for the ball to be returned by gently rolling, tossing, bouncing or dinking the ball back. Rolling the ball back is generally considered the most polite since it is least likely to accidentally hit anyone or cause anyone with poor hand-eye coordination to miss catching the ball. If they are still playing, then you return the ball by rolling it to the back fence of their court.

He tossed you his ball back? Lol, stick it in your pocket and say, "Here - let me show you how to keep balls in YOUR OWN COURT!" and go back to playing.

This is gold :twisted:

 

[Mr.Lob]

Recently I was playing on outdoor clay courts and on the court next me there were four people playing doubles. There balls frequently kept coming to our court and I just rolled the ball back with my tennis racket back to their court.
One of the players on the double's court was annoyed and said, "let me show you how to return a tennis ball".
He bent over, picked up the ball and tossed it up to me.
Is this is the correct protocol? I mean, I don't mind doing this once or twice but why should I have to bend over and feed them balls at their waist height when they don't even apologize for hitting the balls in our court?

Do a Serena Williams on the ingrate, and cram any wayward tennis balls down his throat. :twisted:

If their close I'll flick it back onto their court with my racquet. If not Ill pick up th ball and punch it back to them. If they would ever complain about how I didn'treturn a ball to their satisfaction, I'd tell tell them to get their own balls.

 

[10s talk]

the proper etiquette is the 2nd time the *********'s ball comes on your court, ask him it is his ? Then hit it as far as you can in the opposite direction

 

[Moveforwardalways]

This is one of those things that people with general life skills never encounter and can't imagine why it would ever come up.

 

[newpball]

Wait, if a ball comes from another court you can certainly roll it back as long as it stays one or two feet from the fence but you obviously do not return a ball to the playing area or right behind the baseline that is not only distracting it is possibly dangerous.