Good way to start league season is understanding ‘hindrance’ calls

TennisTIPS


 

 

Tennis leagues have resumed all over Southwest Florida and inevitably this year someone will ask me the following question, “I was playing a league match the other day and my opponent called a hindrance on us. What is the rule for calling a hindrance?”

I like to cover this rule yearly with all my teams so that everyone is in the know and the rule is called and enforced correctly. According to the International Tennis Federation Rules of Tennis, a tennis player can claim hindrance if he or she is either hindered or obstructed in a deliberate way by the opponent. When this happens, the player shall win the point. The point shall be replayed if a player is hindered by either an unintentional act of the opponent(s) or someone or something else. The key word here is the word deliberate.

In doubles, talking between partners is allowed only when the ball is traveling toward them, but not toward their opponents.

For a hindrance to be called, the team must call it immediately and stop play. If the team attempts to hit the ball and misses or makes an error, they may not claim a hindrance.

Adam Lane is director of instruction at Bonita Bay Club. He can be reached at Spotlight@swspotlight.com.

Adam Lane is director of instruction at Bonita Bay Club. He can be reached at Spotlight@swspotlight.com.

A normal tennis move, such as a player faking or moving his or her feet, is not a hindrance and cannot be called on the opposing team.

My suggestion is to always have someone with a copy of the USTA’s Friend at Court Handbook of Rules and Regulations or access to a mobile device to look up a rule you are not sure about.