Two interesting scenarios came up this week and thought I would listen to your wisdom...SCENARIO ONE: In a men's ITA doubles match, Player A serves a first serve and it hits the net and goes up into the air. Player B on the opposing team catches the ball in the air.
What would you rule?
SCENARIO TWO: In a men's ITA match, Player A calls a ball out on the baseline and is overruled. He protests saying the ball was out and he can show the chair official the mark. The chair official then gets out of the chair and goes to the baseline to examine the mark.
As a referee, what would you do with this official??
7 comments:
ONE: Well, you didn't clarify if Player B is the partner of A or the opponent. But, either way, Player B and his partner lose the point. A serve hitting the net is presumed in play until it lands "out". Since it never landed it was in play and the player who caught it loses the point.
TWO: Strap the official into the chair so they can't get out without your permission! The overrule stands regardless of what the official found when they went to examine the ball mark.
Read the first official the rule about the ball has to hit the ground, or other object to be a fault, and the other official, get his lasix redone!
Scenario 1: Serve is a let. It can't be called "out" since it didn't land out. Since it hadn't landed in, it is not yet "in play" & therefore cannot be the server's point from hitting a players with the ball in play.
Scenario 2: Afterward, pull the chair aside & coach him/her that marks on any surface other than clay are meaningless.
I assume the match was an ITA D-1 men's tennis match where serving lets are played. In this case, player B catching the ball in mid-air would lose the point. In all other levels of competition where serving lets are NOT played, when player B catches the serve in mid- air after a let and before the ball bounces, it is a let and the server gets to serves the ball again. This is because when the serve hits the net, the only 2 options at that time can be a fault or a let (except in ITA D-1 men's tennis).
Thank goodness someone finally caught it. There are no lets in men's division I tennis. If the player caught the ball, then he loses the point.
Scenario #2. I would drag the chair umpire off the court and tell him and/or her to never come back. Isn't it a cardinal rule to never get out of the chair to inspect a ball mark, unless of course you are on a clay court? The last time I checked, collegiate matches are played on hard courts.
I have a question - Was the chair umpire new to officiating? Please don't tell me he was a seasoned official.
He is "seasoned" only in that he has been around for a long long time. Perhaps even too long...
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