In a doubles match, we hit a shot toward their player who was hugging the net. The ball hit the top of the net and then the player’s racquet, rebounding into our court where we could not return it. However, the net and his racquet came into contact. He claimed that the ball pushed the net into his racket so he shouldn’t lose the point. Was he right?
— Nicholas Meier, Aptos, CA
Hardly. Rule 24.b says a player loses the point if their racquet “touches the net . . . while the ball is in play.” The rule doesn’t care “why” his racquet touched the net, just that it did. And your opponent nicely acknowledged that it happened, so he should have conceded the point.
Except where noted, answers are based on the ITF Rules of Tennis and USTA's The Code.
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