baseliner68
New User
I have a player who has emailed me with a problem she encountered and I thought I sent her the correct reply along with links to Friend at Court ...The Code... but she has continued sending emails. I don't quite follow but will someone please tell me the correct rule and what to tell her.
Situation: This player holds two balls while serving instead of putting one in her skirt. Evidently she was playing a match and if her first serve went in she would drop the second ball behind her. After her doing this numerous times her opponents finally noticed. They then told her it was a hindrance and that not only was that point theirs but all the other points she had done this were theirs. I'm not sure how they were going to calculate that one!
I grew up in the days where players regularly dropped a second ball after the first serve went in. (Watch a Chris Evert classic match.) After going through The Code I told her that the first time they saw her do that and notified her it was a let. From then on she shouldn't do that and actually she shouldn't do it period. Just put the second ball under your skirt like every other woman does. ....I told her that her opponents were not correct in telling her all the prior points were theirs. I also told her to get a copy of a current Friend at Court and always have on hand. She then asked others about this and her captain asked one person who they evidently believed had the answer. He said it was against the rules completely and she needed to always put the ball in her skirt/pocket.
I don't see that it's a blanket rule to put the ball in your skirt/pocket. I had also told her she could ask her opponents prior to the match if it bothered them if she dropped the second ball and if it wasn't a problem then that was fine. ....Even now some pros take two balls and put one under their skirt or put in their pocket and others wait and get the second ball prior to serving.
Could somebody just clearly define what to do and what the ruling is. I'm tired of looking to find something that will appease.
Thanks a million!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Situation: This player holds two balls while serving instead of putting one in her skirt. Evidently she was playing a match and if her first serve went in she would drop the second ball behind her. After her doing this numerous times her opponents finally noticed. They then told her it was a hindrance and that not only was that point theirs but all the other points she had done this were theirs. I'm not sure how they were going to calculate that one!
I grew up in the days where players regularly dropped a second ball after the first serve went in. (Watch a Chris Evert classic match.) After going through The Code I told her that the first time they saw her do that and notified her it was a let. From then on she shouldn't do that and actually she shouldn't do it period. Just put the second ball under your skirt like every other woman does. ....I told her that her opponents were not correct in telling her all the prior points were theirs. I also told her to get a copy of a current Friend at Court and always have on hand. She then asked others about this and her captain asked one person who they evidently believed had the answer. He said it was against the rules completely and she needed to always put the ball in her skirt/pocket.
I don't see that it's a blanket rule to put the ball in your skirt/pocket. I had also told her she could ask her opponents prior to the match if it bothered them if she dropped the second ball and if it wasn't a problem then that was fine. ....Even now some pros take two balls and put one under their skirt or put in their pocket and others wait and get the second ball prior to serving.
Could somebody just clearly define what to do and what the ruling is. I'm tired of looking to find something that will appease.
Thanks a million!!!!!!!!!!!!!