Foot Faults

During a match play session, I served an aced a girl on my first serve and she immediately called a foot fault. I served again and aced her and she said it didn't count because I foot faulted on that serve as well. Rather than argue with her, I proceeded to the deuce court, backed twelve inches behind the baseline but she continued to call foot faults on me and take away points. I told her I wasn't committing foot faults, but it proceeded to be an issue the entire round I had to play her. Is she allowed to call foot faults on me and deduct points?

-Phantom Foot Faulter

Dear Phantom,

According to USTA Comment 18.6, "The receiver or the receiver's partner may call foot faults only when all reasonable efforts such as warming the server and attempting to get an official to the court have failed and the foot faulting is so flagrant as to be clearly perceptible from the receiver's side." Of course, this is in USTA-sanctioned matches and events. Still, your opponent should not have taken points away from you without cautioning you about your alleged foot faults.

Split Set Intermission

Dear, Official,

Over the summer, I had a doubles match for my 2.5 team. Our opponents won the first set. We won the second and before we could start the tiebreaker, one of our opponents said she had to go pick  up her son from school and she would be back. She didn't want to start the tiebreaker and leave in the middle, so her solution was that we all reconvene at the courts an hour later. My partner and I protested, but felt bullied into letting her have her way. She came back an hour later, we started the tiebreaker and lost. But my question is, was she allowed to do this?

-Delayed in Dallas

Dear, Delayed,

ABSOLUTELY NOT! I don't even know where to begin with this but I think the most appropriate rule is Rule 29, regarding continuous play, which states: "As a principle, play should be continuous, from the time the match starts until the match finishes." Furthermore, in adult league matches, the break between the second and third sets, when a match tiebreaker is being played in lieu of a third set, is two minutes. Lastly, matches are not permitted to be delayed for more than fifteen minutes, unless an official suspends play, in which case you would have been entitled to another warm up. Your opponent's "break" far exceeded the fifteen minute stoppage guidelines.

Rover's Job

In a local junior match, the parent of my child's opponent was upset with the rover who did not overrule two calls that the parent believed to be "in" even though my child called them out. After the match, she proceeded to tell the official that it was her job to correct the call. I know I am biased but the calls looked close to me.

-Trying To Stay Out Of It

Dear Trying To Stay Out Of It,

It is a rover's job to overrule erroneous "out" calls, but only if he clearly sees it in. Many times parents are sitting in positions to see the ball better than a rover who may not be standing in the best position to overrule a close call. The Friend at Court Comment VII. D-4 states "A rover should never overrule an extremely close call. Players are playing under The Code and are expected to give their opponents the benefit of the doubt."

Hitting Your Partner With A Serve

My high school team made it to the state tournament. I was serving a first serve when I accidentally hit my partner in the back on my serve. As I went to serve my second serve, the other team's coach stopped me and said that we lost the point. He said once you hit someone with a serve, the point ended. None of the other coaches agreed so I went ahead and attempted my second serve. But was the other coach right?

-Errant Server

Dear Errant Server,

Although high school athletics often have rules that differ from USTA rules, I was not able to find anything anywhere that supported what the other coach said. You were entitled to a second serve. Your first serve was simply a "fault".

Walking Foot Faults

During a recent USTA combo-league match, my sister and I played a match where one of our opponents would toss the ball and then walk three or four steps along the baseline before she served the ball. We informed her that what she was doing was foot faulting, but she said her coach said she was fine as long as she didn't cross the center hash mark. Who was right?

-Speechless in SE Michigan

Dear Speechless,

Get your voice back! You and your sister are right. According to the ITF Rules of Tennis, Rule 18a. states that "... the server shall not: Change position by walking or running..."

Slight movements of the feet are permissible, such as dragging one's toe to bring the feet together.