Aug 2009 - What's the Call

Question: Player A and Player B are about to start a match tiebreak to decide their hard-fought singles match. The position of the sun has cast a shadow across a section of the court that Player A finds distracting, so he asks Player B to move to another court to play the tiebreak. Player B refuses to switch courts. Is he within his right to refuse such a request?

Answer: Player B is well within his rights to refuse such a request by Player A. There is nothing in the rules permitting a player to call for a court change due to shadows. Shadows are not recognized as either a hindrance or unsafe playing condition. Note also that if the players were following the Coman Tiebreak Procedure, then they would be changing ends after the first point, then every four points thereafter, thus evening out any disadvantage created by the shadow.

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.

McDonalds Mid-Atlantic $30,000 Championships Underway

by Charles Tilley

The USTA-MAS McDonald's Men's and Women's Open Clay Court $30,000 Championships began earlier this week at Salisbury Country Club. This is a high level tournament carrying cash prizes for the winners It is open to all Mid-Atlantic residents, pulling players from Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. Most semi-finals will take place on Friday and many finals will occur on Saturday. Scott Steinour, head pro at Salisbury, is overseeing the tournament, which has many local players, both adults and juniors competing. However, as the tournament has progressed, only high level players remain in the draws.

Some players to look for on Friday in the Men's Singles are Sanam Singh, a current U.V.A. tennis player who has experience with the Indian Davis Cup team, and David McNamara, an accomplished ATP Tour (professional) doubles player with 13 titles to his name and a competitor in the 2000 Australian Open. There are certainly other top-notch players in the men's field. On the women's side Petra Rampre, a Slovenian native who has amassed 302 WTA match wins, and Shadisha Robinson, a former University of Georgia player ranked #1 in doubles in #6 in singles in the ITA (collegiate) rankings, are competing. Spectators are both welcome and expected out at Salisbury.

Match Schedules (all times p.m.):

• Men's Singles: Semi-finals at 5:00 on Friday, Finals at 6:00 on Saturday.
• Women's Singles: Semi-finals at 4:00 on Friday, Finals at 4:00 on Saturday.
• Men's Doubles: Semi-finals at 7:00 on Thursday, Finals at 8:00 on Friday.
• Women's Doubles: Semi-finals at 6:00 on Thursday, Finals at 6:00 on Friday.
• Mixed Doubles: Semi-finals at 9:00 on Thursday, Finals at 8:00 on Saturday.

Richmond Tennis Hall of Fame

In 1990 the Richmond Tennis Association (then the Richmond Tennis Patrons Association) established and inducted the first class of the Richmond Tennis Hall of Fame. In 1995 a second class was inducted, and a third in 1997. Since 1997 the Hall of Fame has been dormant and there have been no new inductees. WELL NO LONGER!

The RTA has decided to reinstate the Hall of Fame! In fact the RTA has already elected eight new members for the 2009 class who will be announced publicly at the finals of the McDonalds Mid-Atlantic Open Clay Court Championships July 18th. The induction ceremony will be Oct. 24 at Westwood Racket Club.

To be considered, a person or institution must have a minimum of 10 years of contribution to Richmond tennis. In the player category, the individual must have established outstanding competitive achievements with consideration given to sportsmanship and character. In the non-player category, the individual or entity must have made outstanding contributions within the capital city area with consideration given to dedication to the game.

Prior inductees are:

1990

Arthur Ashe, Sr.
Arthur Ashe, Jr.
Dorothy Chewning
Louis Einwick
Samuel Woods
Crestar Bank
Fidelity Bankers Life Insurance Co.

1995

Susan Cain
Harold Burrows
Waller Horsley
Robert Leitch, Sr.
John Watson
Thalhimers Stores

1997

Jerry DePew
Frank Maloney
Massie Valentine
Home Beneficial Life Insurance co.

July 2009 - What's the Call

Question: Player A attempts to hit a ball during a point but the ball appears to bounce down and strike Player A's end of the court before crossing the net. Player A and Player B disagree on which side of the net the ball first bounced. Whose call is it?

Answer: In this scenario, it is Player B's call. Section 21 of the Code provides, in relevant part, that "a player shall make the ruling on a ball that the player's opponent hits into the ground before it goes over the net."

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.

Richmond Tennis Championships Are Here

by Charles Tilley

The Davenport & Company Richmond Age Division Tennis Championships are set to begin on June 27, and will continue through July 2. The tournament will take place on the clay of Willow Oaks Country Club and features fourteen separate divisions. The Women's 40 Doubles is the only female division being contested, so the majority of the court time will be taken by the men's draws. There are several strong players in this year's field. The singles seeds include: Ricardo Ribera (1) and Clint Green (2) for Men's 35s, Carlos Allen (1) for Men's 40s, Wayne Motley (1) for Men's 45s, Hoppy Shores (1) for Men's 50s, Christopher Blair (1) for Men's 55s, Everett Worthington (1) and Rusty Whitaker (2) for Men's 60s, and James Robertson (1) for Men's 65s.

Also, several teams are seeded for doubles: Christopher Blair-Greg Williams (1) for Men's 55s, Stokes Grymes-Anthony Maddra (1) and Alan Harrell-Ron Via (2) for Men's 60s, and Alan Harrell-Ron Via (1) for Men's 65s. The play is sure to be of high quality for this event. Also, spectators are both expected and encouraged.

College Week Tennis Camp is a Blowout Success

by Charles Tilley

Willow Oaks Country Club hosted the College Week Tennis Camp this past week, June 22-26. Cris Robinson, the chief coordinator of the event and head pro at Willow Oaks, was overjoyed at the large turnout and high level of tennis being exhibited by junior players from local clubs and the Mid-Atlantic region at large. The camp brings in different college coaches and tennis instructors each day to provide specific insight and drills for the players. This week, representatives from several esteemed programs were on site for specific days: Brian Kalbas of University of North Carolina, Mark Guilbeau of University of Virginia, Paul Kostin of Virginia Commonwealth University, Jay Bruner of College of Charleston, Billy Boykin of University of Richmond, and Ramsey Smith of Duke University.

Needless to say, the opportunity to meet and be instructed by such high level coaches is an invaluable experience for any junior player. Cris Robinson, camp director, was adamant about the advantages gained by players attending the camp, saying, "In addition to match play, the children were able to participate in real college practices as instructed by real college coaches. They are given advice the coaches would give their own players, including tips to position themselves for a college tennis career. It is simply a tremendous opportunity to learn from the best college coaches in the country."

Each day the players hit the courts from early morning to mid-afternoon, leaving the courts only for a lunch break with food provided by the club. There is a good deal of drilling and match play, often under the watchful eye of a college coach. At the conclusion of the week a pool party with a DJ was arranged to cap off the terrific experience. There will be another session of the camp with different coaches later this summer, August 17-21. Two chief attractions of this week will be Chuck Kriese, Thailand National Tennis Coach, and John Roddick of the Roddick Total Tennis Academy. There are still spots available in this upcoming camp; Cris Robinson can be contacted for further information.

College Week Tennis Camp

Powhatan Junior Starting Third Year as Ball Person at Sony Ericsson

Junior USTA and RTA Member Amanda Maready from Powhatan will be starting her third year as a ball person at the Sony-Ericsson Open Tennis Tournament on Key Biscayne in March. The Sony Ericsson Open is one of the nine ATP Masters Series events, a top tier event on the WTA tour, and features the top men's and women's tennis players in the world.

Amanda began training and working as a ball person in 2007. During her first year, she was required to attend three qualifying training sessions on Saturdays in February for five hours each day as well as a final training session in March. During the training sessions, she is rated on her speed at getting to the ball, rolling the ball fast and straight, catching the ball and entering and exiting properly with her team. She must also be able to completely follow the scoring, stand perfectly still during play and provide the players with shade, towels and drinks during changeovers. Each year, she continues to attend training sessions prior to the tournament.

This year, the tournament will take place from March 25 through April 5. During the tournament, she will work at least seven shifts, each eight hours long beginning at either 7 am or 4 pm. Amanda is now considered a veteran ball person and often serves as team captain on the court. She says that you don't think about who the players are, just about keeping the court organized while not impeding play. The sign of a good ball person team is when the spectators don't even remember seeing the ball kids. They should be invisible to get the job done. During the past two years, she has worked for Amelie Mauresemo, Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfredo Tsonga, Feliciano Lopez, Ai Sugiyama, John Isner and many others. This year, she hopes to work on the Stadium Court.

Over the years of attending the tournament she has seen many players compete, including Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadel, Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer, Venus and Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi. She has also had the opportunity to play doubles with Bob and Mike Bryan and return serves from Andy Roddick.

Amanda is home schooled, which gives her the opportunity to travel during the year. During the tournament she says with her family in Miami, where she was born and raised. She has lived in Powhatan for over two years and plays in the USTA Richmond Junior Team Tennis League as well as in local tournaments.