Question: I was playing a singles match when my opponent and I lost track of the set score. I thought it was 5-3, but my opponent thought it was 4-4. We were not sure where we got mixed up, but we did agree that it was 3-3 at one time, so we just played from there. Did we do the right thing?
Answer: Yes you did. There is a 3-step process for resolving scoring disputes such as this. First, you try to figure out which point or game is in dispute and just replay that point or game. If you can’t agree on that, then you go back the last score that you both agree on and resume play from there (which is what you did). Believe it or not, the rules say that if you still can’t resolve the dispute after going through steps 1 and 2, the final step is to flip a coin to resolve the dispute.Got a question about the rules of tennis?
Think you've been "greased" by your opponent during a match and just can't sleep until the issue is resolved? Go ahead and submit your question to "What's the Call?" at eric@ericperkinslaw.com. Sample questions and answers will be posted monthly.
