TennFest Rules and Etiquettes (Revised by Tiros Lee: 22 August, 2002)
- Be there or be
- Last minute cancellation/delay: If a TennFest is announced to play, for any reason, e.g., inclement weather, the TennFest needs to be canceled or delayed, you will receive a phone call from me one hour before the match time. If you're unsure about the court conditions, you may also call me at 301-890-5528 (home) or 301-275-8494 (cell). Otherwise, TennFest will go on.
- If a player cannot make a call with certainty,
he/she must call it good. The far-court players may challenge
the call immediately, but the receiver will have the final call.
- Unintentional foot fault is NOT called or enforced. However, players need to be discreet while serving.
- A let can be called when:
a. A service is interrupted or delayed more than once by surrounding activities;
b. A ball is coming into or behind the court during a point. However,
if players continue to play, no let should be called after the point is over;
c. An unintentional mistake is made on a service or a line call by the receiver; or
d. All four players agree to play a point over for whatever the reason.
e. If a ball served which touches the net, strap or band, touches the Receiver or anything which he wears or carries before hitting the ground. (USTA 22a)
- If the order of receiving is mistaken, it shall remain as altered until the end of the game. The players shall resume their original order of receiving in the next game.
- The choice of Server or Receiver is decided by a toss of a racquet. The winners of the toss may choose or require their opponents to choose the service or the side.
- A player loses point when he/she hits the ball before it has passed the net. (USTA 24g) However, when a ball bounds back over the net, the player concerned may reach over the net in order to play the ball. (USTA 25b)
- The service is a fault if a player misses the ball in attempting to strike it. However, after throwing a ball up preparatory to serving, the Server decides not to strike at it and catches it instead. It is not a fault.
- A player loses a point when the ball in play touches him. (USTA 24h) The service is a fault when a server hits his partner during the service. (USTA 19d)
- A point is good if the ball touches the net, posts, singles sticks, cord or metal cable, strap or band, provided that it passes over any of them and hits the ground
within the Court. (USTA 25a)
- If a TennFest can not be fully completed by whatever the reason, we'll scratch the scores and return the tennis balls to the winning participants.
- Rules not covered here will be set forth by USTA rules
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