Who may call a LET? Per USTA comment 23.4 ONLY an official or player may call a let. A player may call a let only on the player’s court.
So why does a LET call cause so many issues on the court? Consider following this rule: Promptly make ALL calls, including let calls. This eliminates the “two chances to win the point” option that some players practice. To illustrate, a player is advancing to the net for an easy put away and sees a ball from an adjoining court rolling toward the court. The player continues to advance and hits the shot, only to have the supposed easy put away fly over the baseline. The player then claims a LET. The claim is not valid because the player forfeited the right to call a let by choosing instead to play the ball. The player took a chance to win or lose the point and is not entitled to a second chance.
In reverse, if I see a ball rolling onto my court and my opponent has a probable put away shot on a high floater, I try to call LET promptly. However if the put away shot was very close in time to my LET call, I will award the point to my opponent if their put away shot was good. If their put away shot was out, we replay the point, assuming my LET call interfered with my opponents ability to hit the shot. This helps to eliminate issues and keep peace in the valley and friends.
What if a ball falls out of my pocket or my hat falls off or blows off while a ball is in play? Can I call a let?
Per USTA Comment 26.2 NO, nothing a player does entitles that player to call a let. For example, a player is not entitled to a let because the player breaks a string, the player’s hat falls or blows off, or a ball falls out of the player’s pocket. Your opponents may call a let if they choose as a result of these incidents, but if they do not immediately call it, play continues to its natural end.
Per USTA Comment 26.2 NO, nothing a player does entitles that player to call a let. For example, a player is not entitled to a let because the player breaks a string, the player’s hat falls or blows off, or a ball falls out of the player’s pocket. Your opponents may call a let if they choose as a result of these incidents, but if they do not immediately call it, play continues to its natural end.
May the receiver claim a let if the server loses control and grip of the racket and it lands during the service in the server’s court? Per USTA Comment 22.1….NO such an occurrence is not sufficiently unusual to justify a let.
These are only 3 incidents as describe in the Friend At Court…there are MANY others. If you’d like to review the LET rules in their entirety, I'd encourage you to purchase a rule book of your own. You’ll find a good many rules that you thought you knew only to find out perhaps you don’t know them as well as you may think. Officials are no different in this regard. The rule book is 290+ pages long, which is difficult to keep them all straight, even for those of us that read the book each year for officiating certification.
If you have questions about this or other rules, this is the forum for them ladies….ask away.
2 comments:
One more question: when a player falls down, and is potentially injured, doesn't play continue? Could anyone call a let in that situation, or only the opponents of the player that fell down?
Only the opponents of the player that fell down may call a let. In my experience, play continues with the opponent "generally" hitting one final shot putting the ball away to secure the point.
Post a Comment