Tennis rule question

[Rickson]

This was from another thread where 2 people questioned whether I should have won the point or not. Lou hits a short shot that barely goes over the net. I rush to it and zip the ball past him. Lou claims my racquet can not go over the net, but I say it's legal because I never touched the net at all. My followthrough went over the net which is perfectly legal. The ball obviously wasn't plucked out of the air on his side because it had already bounced. The ball had a vertical bounce meaning it wasn't about to spin back over but it was close enough to net that my followthrough would go over. Where in the rules does it say that a followthrough can not go over the net? I would have certainly given him the point if I touched the net, but no part of my racquet or body touched the net. I don't see the problem, the point was mine or is there some strange rule that would have given Lou the cheat the point?

 

[Matthew]

I'm pretty sure you are correct and it is legal for you racquet to cross the net as long as you made contact with the ball while it was on your side of the net.

 

[LionsNC]

You are correct the point was yours as long as contact starts on your side of the net.

I think the only legal hit that can begin on the other side of the net is in the case you decribe where the ball goes over bounes and the becuase of backspin goes back over to their side of the net. In this case you can legally reach accross the net to hit the ball, at least that's what I read in one issue of tennis magizine.

 

[mucat]

You are correct, follow-thru over the net is legal as long as you didn't touch the net.

 

[dmastous]

You can reach as far as neccessary to hit the ball. As long as your racquet, or your body doesn't touch the net. I've hit, and had hit to me, shots that had such back spin that they bounced on my opponent's side then back over the net to my side. The opponent is perfectly within the rules to reach over and tap the ball before it bounces on my side if they can.

 

[RiosTheGenius]

even if you made the contact a bit passed the net I would have given you the point. a lot of these things have to do with you being dificult or easy going.

 

[nViATi]

The law is on your side

 

[mucat]

You can reach as far as neccessary to hit the ball. As long as your racquet, or your body doesn't touch the net. I've hit, and had hit to me, shots that had such back spin that they bounced on my opponent's side then back over the net to my side. The opponent is perfectly within the rules to reach over and tap the ball before it bounces on my side if they can.

Like LionsNC said, this is the only exception you can reach over and hit the ball at your opponent side of the court.

even if you made the contact a bit passed the net I would have given you the point. a lot of these things have to do with you being dificult or easy going.

I sort of disagree, sometimes an opponent can hit a shot that is just high enough to pass the net with dipping topspin, it is very difficult to hit back once the ball pass the net, but it is a easy shot if you hit it before it pass the net.

 

[austro]

Is it not allowed to touch the net after you have made your shot?

 

[equinox]

Is it not allowed to touch the net after you have made your shot?

no. you can touch after the point has ended. double bounce or balls into net or out of court. still not advisable.

You also can't step into your opponents side of the court.

For example, suppose you're chasing a baskspun dropshot and after playing the shot your toe slides under the net touching the opponent side, that is not legal and you should lose the point. your opponent may not pick it up, so you should call yourself on it. just like slight racket to ball touches and double bounce hits.

 

[nViATi]

no. you can touch after the point has ended. double bounce or balls into net or out of court. still not advisable.

You also can't step into your opponents side of the court.

For example, suppose you're chasing a baskspun dropshot and after playing the shot your toe slides under the net touching the opponent side, that is not legal and you should lose the point. your opponent may not pick it up, so you should call yourself on it. just like slight racket to ball touches and double bounce hits.

Accidental double hits are legal.

 

[RiosTheGenius]

I sort of disagree, sometimes an opponent can hit a shot that is just high enough to pass the net with dipping topspin, it is very difficult to hit back once the ball pass the net, but it is a easy shot if you hit it before it pass the net.

well, if the guy is so close to the net to be able to do that, maybe you should have hit a top-spin lob instead.
I can't even imagine something like this happening to me in a hundred years, unless we're really playing stupid games at the net. but never at a competitive level.

 

[Geezer Guy]

This was from another thread where 2 people questioned whether I should have won the point or not. Lou hits a short shot that barely goes over the net. I rush to it and zip the ball past him. Lou claims my racquet can not go over the net, but I say it's legal because I never touched the net at all. My followthrough went over the net which is perfectly legal. The ball obviously wasn't plucked out of the air on his side because it had already bounced. The ball had a vertical bounce meaning it wasn't about to spin back over but it was close enough to net that my followthrough would go over. Where in the rules does it say that a followthrough can not go over the net? I would have certainly given him the point if I touched the net, but no part of my racquet or body touched the net. I don't see the problem, the point was mine or is there some strange rule that would have given Lou the cheat the point?

Since you say the ball had already bounced on your side, it's OK to hit the ball on EITHER side of the net (and obviously it's ok for your follow-through to go over the net). It's ONLY if the ball has not bounced that you can't reach over the net to hit it.

 

[equinox]

Accidental double hits are legal.

i was talking about suspect bunt balls on the second bounce. not doubles hits with racket.

 

[equinox]

if in act of reaching over the net an playing backspun ball you whack your opponent, that's bad luck for them. since you were playing the ball legally.

 

[mucat]

well, if the guy is so close to the net to be able to do that, maybe you should have hit a top-spin lob instead.
I can't even imagine something like this happening to me in a hundred years, unless we're really playing stupid games at the net. but never at a competitive level.

No, my opponent could be just at the baseline and I might be at the middle of service box, once I saw where he is hitting, I closing in a little more.

Also, sometimes when you hit a good approach shot, your opponent running and stretching to get the ball back, he might be lucky and barely just get the ball over, this situtation also created some difficult, because the net is between the ball and the court and the ball is so close to the net.

Both situations happened to me before.

 

[mucat]

Since you say the ball had already bounced on your side, it's OK to hit the ball on EITHER side of the net (and obviously it's ok for your follow-through to go over the net). It's ONLY if the ball has not bounced that you can't reach over the net to hit it.

Geezer Guy got it right. We all missed the ball was already bounced.