time_fly
Hall of Fame
I had an opponent complain about a line call yesterday. The ball clearly landed outside the side line, which he didn’t dispute ... but he said that the inside edge of the ball still touched the outside edge of the line and that I had to allow for more clear separation of the entire ball and line to be certain it’s out. I think this thinking comes from the pro level tournaments where it is now common to challenge and occasionally get points for balls where the Hawkeye system says a tiny sliver of the edge of the ball maintained contact with the edge of the line even though the judge saw it out.
I personally think the rule should be changed so that if the center of the ball lands outside the line then the ball is out. Nothing except a dedicated line judge working with a camera system can make an accurate call in those situations; it’s impossible to make those types of calls at the amateur level while trying to hit the ball. Otherwise, the court effectively gets 2 or 3 inches bigger as balls that used to be called out start requiring the benefit of the doubt because of the possible “edge on edge” touches.
I personally think the rule should be changed so that if the center of the ball lands outside the line then the ball is out. Nothing except a dedicated line judge working with a camera system can make an accurate call in those situations; it’s impossible to make those types of calls at the amateur level while trying to hit the ball. Otherwise, the court effectively gets 2 or 3 inches bigger as balls that used to be called out start requiring the benefit of the doubt because of the possible “edge on edge” touches.